We read on the Transfiguration of the Lord twice during in a liturgical cycle every year: Second Sunday of Lent and the Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6).
Reflecting on the Transfiguration of the Lord on the
Second Sunday of Lent calls us to look beyond the passion and death of Christ,
namely, to look into the glory of the Lord’s resurrection, as well as, his
Ascension into heaven. On the other hand, celebrating the feast of the
Transfiguration of the Lord on August 6 shall invigorate our eschatological
hope of the Parousia and us becoming the Church Triumphant (Ecclesia
Triumphans), transformed from the Church Militant (Ecclesia Militans)
and the Church Penitent (Ecclesia Poenitens).
We have been the Church Militant ever since her birth
on Pentecost, as we continue to be in battle with evil forces and evil spirits
that plague this world (Ephesians 6:11-17). And this spiritual war will not
cease until the return of Christ, as the King of the Universe, in his glory, to
reign both the heavens and the earth at the eschaton (Revelation 19-22),
preceded by the series of the judgement against those who are against Christ
and his Church (Revelation 6:1-17; 8:1-5(Seven Seals); 8:6-9:21; 11:15-19(Seven
Trumpets); 16:1-21(Seven Bowls); 17:1-18:24).
This motif of the Transfiguration as a preview into
the eschatological Parousia of Christ the King to reign the heavens and the
earth (i.e. Matthew 28:18) upon all the enemies are conquered (Revelation 18:1-24;
19:17-21; 20:1-10) is foreseen by Daniel, as described in the First Reading (Daniel
7:9-10, 13-14), which is taken from the description of Daniel’s dream in
Babylon, during the reign of Belshazzar, Babylonian king (Daniel 7:1).
It was around 553BC. In this dream, Daniel envisaged
the coming of the Son of Man, the Christ, following the serial emergences of
the four beasts, which symbolize four powerful empires. The lion with the wings
of an eagle (Daniel 7:4) represents the Babylonian Empire, which was founded by
Nebuchadnezzar. The bear with three ribs (Daniel 7:5) indicates the Persian
Empire, and the three ribs may represent three main empires that Persia
conquered: Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt. The Leopard with four wings and four
heads (Daniel 7:6) is a symbolic representation of the Macedonian-Greek Empire,
founded by Alexander the Great. The four wings and heads may represent the four
divisions of the empire after the death of Alexander the Great: Macedon and Greece ruled by Antipater and
Cassander, Thrace and Asia Minor ruled by Lysimachus, Syria ruled by Seleucus
I, and Palestine and Egypt ruled by Ptolemy I.
The fourth terrifying and very powerful unnamed beast with large iron
teeth and ten horns (Daniel 7:7) means the Roman Empire. The tenth shows Rome’s
devouring power in conquests and the ten horns represents its vast domain.
These four beasts in sequential order symbolize the increasing expansion of the
secular power that poses a challenge against God.
Thus, in response to the progressive expansion of the
worldly power, Daniel foresaw the coming of Christ, the Son of Man, and his
throne, to establish his Kingdom over all nations on earth, as described in the
First Reading (Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14).
The thrones besides the seat of the Ancient of Days in
Daniel’s dream (Daniel 7:9) are the heavenly thrones that Christ revealed to
John (Revelation 4:4). And the seat where the Ancient of Days sat (Daniel 7:9)
may be the throne of Christ (Revelation 7:9), as the Ancient of Days is a figurative
expression of God. Because Christ, the Son, pre-existed, with God and as God
(John 1:1; Colossians 1:16-17; Proverbs 8:22-31), the Ancient of Days can be
Christ, as well as, the Father. Because he sits on his throne (Daniel 7:9), the
Ancient of Days is the King (i.e. Luke 1:32-33; Revelation 19:16).
The throne of Christ the King, as foreseen by Daniel,
is not fixed in heaven but rather mobile with the wheels (Daniel 7:9). With its
wheels, the Christ’s throne moves in all direction on earth to be in touch with
those who believe in him (i.e. Ezekiel 1:15-28; cf. Mark 16:15-16). His clothing
being as white as snow and his white hair being like pure wool (Daniel 7:9) may
be a prefigurative image of the incarnated Christ’s transfiguration in bright
light (Matthew 17:2) and the white horse that he rides at his Parousia
(Revelation 19:11).
The throne and its wheels are on fire (Daniel 7:9).
Because fire symbolizes judgement (Matthew 25:41; 1 Corinthians 3:13; Hebrews
10:27; 12:29; 2 Peter 3:7; Isaiah 66:15-16; Malachi 3:19 (4:1)), Daniel’s dream
of Christ’s coming suggests the final judgement, as his throne also means the
judge’s bench. The judgement, the fire, is rendered from Christ’s throne to all
the subjects, who are assembled in his court (Daniel 7:10), as this foresees
the final judgement at the eschaton (Revelation 20:11-15).
All the beasts, all these secular powers against
Christ and his Church are judged and destroyed (Daniel 7:11-12), and Christ’s
eternal reign takes the complete dominion (Daniel 7:13-14).
In Daniel’s dream, Christ the King is coming with the clouds
of heaven (Daniel 7:13; cf. Luke 21:27) to take his complete reign on earth as
in heaven (Daniel 7:14). This is echoed in the presence of a bright cloud, from
which the Father spoke on His Son:
This is my beloved Son, with whom I am
well pleased; listen to him (Matthew 17:5).
The only other occasion when the Father spoke was when
the incarnated Christ was baptized and as the Holy Spirit descended (Matthew
3:16), saying:
This is my beloved Son, with whom I am
well pleased (Matthew 3:17).
The cloud certainly represents the presence of God in the
Holy Spirit during the day, while fire represents the presence of the Holy Spirit
in the night (i.e. Exodus 13:21-22; cf. Matthew 3:11; Acts 2:3). And the Holy Spirit
accompanies the Father, as He makes His presence.
At the time of the Transfiguration of the incarnated
Christ, all three persons in Trinity are present: the Son in glorious
transfiguration, the Father speaking from the heaven’s opening, and the Holy Spirit
in th5; catthew 17:2-5). Furthermore, in his glorious Transfiguration, the
incarnated Christ was with Moses, who represents the Law, and Elijah, who
represents the prophets (Matthew 17:3). This means that he is the fulfillment
of both the Law and the prophets, as he claimed during his Sermon on the Mount
(Matthew 5:17).
The glorious light that made the face of the
incarnated Christ shine like the sun, turning his clothing white (Matthew 17:2)
is the divine light, in which there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). This
reminds that Christ is the light (John 8:12) that shines eternally, even after
the sun burns out (Revelation 21:23). However, the brightness of the divine
light can be terrifying to those who are not familiar with it (Matthew 17:5; cf.
Luke 2:9). But those who are evil hate the divine light, Christ the light (John
3:20). And, the Transfiguration of the Lord gives a foretaste of the full reign
of the light upon conquering all evil darkness.
In fact, the Transfiguration took place in response to
Peter’s failure to acknowledge the power of the resurrection of the incarnated
Christ, following his death, when his death and resurrection was foretold
(Matthew 16:21-23). By protesting the prospect of the death of the incarnated
Christ, Peter was also trying to prevent the glory of Christ’s resurrection,
his ascension, and his Parousia. For this reason, Jesus rebuked him. So, Peter,
together with James and John, had to see the glory that follows the death of
the incarnated Christ. And this symbolized in his Transfiguration, as it
represents where Christ’s Paschal Mystery points to.
The incarnated Christ has conquered the darkness of death through his death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:54-55; cf. Hosea 13:14). Therefore, when his full reign takes place, upon his Parousia and judgement, as foreseen by Daniel (Daniel 7:9-14), we live eternal life in the glorious eternal light, thanks to Christ the King in his complete reign (Revelation 21:4). And as the Second Reading (2 Peter 1:16-19) reminds, the Transfiguration of the Lord shall transform us to shine as a lamp in this world, darkened by evil. Reflecting Christ the light of the Transfiguration, we continue to fight against the evil darkness of the world until we become the Church Triumphant so that we shall be the bride of Christ at the eschaton (Revelation 19:6-9).
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