"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."[John 6:68]
The Transfiguration of the Lord - Feast - Year B
Feast of the Church:
THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD
Feast
Feast
Our divine Redeemer, being in Galilee about a year before His sacred Passion, took with him St. Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, Sts. James and John, and led them to a retired mountain. Tradition assures us that this was Mount Thabor, which is exceedingly high and beautiful, and was anciently covered with green trees and shrubs, and was very fruitful. It rises something like a sugar-loaf, in a vast plain in the middle of Galilee. This was the place in which the Man-God appeared in His glory.
Whilst Jesus prayed, he suffered that glory which was always due to his sacred humility, and of which, for our sake, He deprived it, to diffuse a ray over His whole body. His face was altered and shone as the sun, and his garments became white as snow. Moses and Elias were seen by the three apostles in his company on this occasion, and were heard discoursing with him of the death which he was to suffer in Jerusalem.
The three apostles were wonderfully delighted with this glorious vision, and St. Peter cried out to Christ, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents: one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias" Whilst St. Peter was speaking, there came, on a sudden, a bright shining cloud from heaven, an emblem of the presence of God's majesty, and from out of this cloud was heard a voice which said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" The apostles that were present, upon hearing this voice, were seized with a sudden fear, and fell upon the ground; but Jesus, going to them, touched them, and bade them to rise. They aimmediately did so, and saw no one but Jesus standing in his ordinary state.
This vision happened in the night. As they went down the mountain early the next morning, Jesus bade them not to tell any one what they had seen till he should be risen from the dead.
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
Saints of the day:
St. Hormisdas, Pope († 523)
Book Daniel 7:9 “As I watched, thrones were set in place;
and the Ancient One took his seat.
His clothing was white as snow,
the hair on his head was like pure wool.
His throne was fiery flames,
with wheels of burning fire.
10 A stream of fire flowed from his presence;
thousands and thousands ministered to him,
millions and millions stood before him.
Then the court was convened, and the books were opened.
13 “I kept watching the night visions,
when I saw, coming with the clouds of heaven,
someone like a son of man.
He approached the Ancient One
and was led into his presence.
14 To him was given rulership,
glory and a kingdom,
so that all peoples, nations and languages
should serve him.
His rulership is an eternal rulership
that will not pass away;
and his kingdom is one
that will never be destroyed.
Psalm 97:1 Adonai is king, let the earth rejoice,
let the many coasts and islands be glad.
2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of Adonai,
at the presence of the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
9 For you, Adonai, most high over all the earth,
you are exalted far above all gods.
The Second Letter to Peter 1:16 For when we made known to you the power and the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, we did not rely on cunningly contrived myths. On the contrary, we saw his majesty with our own eyes. 17 For we were there when he received honor and glory from God the Father; and the voice came to him from the grandeur of the Sh’khinah, saying, “This is my son, whom I love; I am well pleased with him!” 18 We heard this voice come out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 Yes, we have the prophetic Word made very certain. You will do well to pay attention to it as to a light shining in a dark, murky place, until the Day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts.
The Holy Gospel of Yeshua the Messiah according to Saint Mark 9:2 Six days later, Yeshua took Kefa, Ya‘akov and Yochanan and led them up a high mountain privately. As they watched, he began to change form, 3 and his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than anyone in the world could possibly bleach them. 4 Then they saw Eliyahu and Moshe speaking with Yeshua. 5 Kefa said to Yeshua, “It’s good that we’re here, Rabbi! Let’s put up three shelters — one for you, one for Moshe and one for Eliyahu.” 6 (He didn’t know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud enveloped them; and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Yeshua.
9 As they came down the mountain, he warned them not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves; but they continued asking each other, “What is this ‘rising from the dead’?”
The Transfiguration of the Lord - Feast - Year B
Commentary of the day:
Saint Ephrem (c.306-373), deacon in Syria, Doctor of the Church
Opera omnia, p. 41
The Lord of both old and new
At the time of the Transfiguration the witness given to the Son was confirmed by both the voice of the Father and by Moses and Elijah, who appeared beside Jesus as his servants. The prophets are looking at Peter, James and John the apostles; the apostles behold the prophets. In one and the same place the princes of the old covenant come together with those of the new. Holy Moses saw Peter the holy one; the shepherd chosen by the Father saw the shepherd chosen by the Son. The former had rebuked the sea in days of old that God’s people might pass through the midst of its waves, the latter suggested setting up a tent to shelter the Church. The chaste man of the Old Testament saw the chaste man of the New: Elijah could see John. He who was lifted up in a chariot of fire saw him who rested on the breast of the Fire (Jn 13,23). And then the mountain became the symbol of the Church: at its summit Jesus unifies the two Testaments that this Church gathers up. He made it known that he is Lord of the one as of the other, of the Old which received his mysteries, of the New which revealed the glory of his actions.
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SAINT HORMISDAS
Pope
(† 523)
Pope
(† 523)
St. Hormisdas was bishop of Rome after Symmachus from July 26th, 514, to August 6th, 523, Anastasius and Justin being successively emperors of the East and Theodoric ruling the West as king of Italy. Hormisdas was a native of Frusino in Campania. Pope Silverius is said to have been his son.
The memorable event of his pontificate was the restoration of communion between Rome and Constantinople, which had been interrupted since 484, in connexion with the Eutychian heresy.
Hormisdas died early in 523, having held the see 9 years and 11 days. He, as well as all the popes during the schism with the East, except the too conciliatory Anastasius, has had his firmness acknowledged by canonization, his day in the Roman Calendar being August 6th. His extant writings consist of letters.
Hormisdas had great administrative and diplomatic abilities, was singularly uncompromising and firm of purpose, and one of the most strenuous and successful assertors of the supremacy of the Roman see.
The Transfiguration of the Lord - Feast - Year BBook Daniel 7:9 “As I watched, thrones were set in place;
and the Ancient One took his seat.
His clothing was white as snow,
the hair on his head was like pure wool.
His throne was fiery flames,
with wheels of burning fire.
10 A stream of fire flowed from his presence;
thousands and thousands ministered to him,
millions and millions stood before him.
Then the court was convened, and the books were opened.
13 “I kept watching the night visions,
when I saw, coming with the clouds of heaven,
someone like a son of man.
He approached the Ancient One
and was led into his presence.
14 To him was given rulership,
glory and a kingdom,
so that all peoples, nations and languages
should serve him.
His rulership is an eternal rulership
that will not pass away;
and his kingdom is one
that will never be destroyed.
Psalm 97:1 Adonai is king, let the earth rejoice,
let the many coasts and islands be glad.
2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of Adonai,
at the presence of the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
9 For you, Adonai, most high over all the earth,
you are exalted far above all gods.
The Second Letter to Peter 1:16 For when we made known to you the power and the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, we did not rely on cunningly contrived myths. On the contrary, we saw his majesty with our own eyes. 17 For we were there when he received honor and glory from God the Father; and the voice came to him from the grandeur of the Sh’khinah, saying, “This is my son, whom I love; I am well pleased with him!” 18 We heard this voice come out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 Yes, we have the prophetic Word made very certain. You will do well to pay attention to it as to a light shining in a dark, murky place, until the Day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts.
The Holy Gospel of Yeshua the Messiah according to Saint Mark 9:2 Six days later, Yeshua took Kefa, Ya‘akov and Yochanan and led them up a high mountain privately. As they watched, he began to change form, 3 and his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than anyone in the world could possibly bleach them. 4 Then they saw Eliyahu and Moshe speaking with Yeshua. 5 Kefa said to Yeshua, “It’s good that we’re here, Rabbi! Let’s put up three shelters — one for you, one for Moshe and one for Eliyahu.” 6 (He didn’t know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud enveloped them; and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Yeshua.
9 As they came down the mountain, he warned them not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves; but they continued asking each other, “What is this ‘rising from the dead’?”
The Transfiguration of the Lord - Feast - Year B
Commentary of the day:
Saint Ephrem (c.306-373), deacon in Syria, Doctor of the Church
Opera omnia, p. 41
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