Transfiguration of the Lord

In the Preface for the Transfiguration we hear, "For he revealed his glory in the presence of chosen witnesses and filled with the greatest splendor that bodily from which he shares with all humanity, that the scandal of the Cross might be removed from the hearts of his disciples and that he might show how in the Body of the whole Church is to be fulfilled what so wonderfully shone forth first in its Head" (Magnificat, 87). The Transfiguration is a glimpse of glory and for the disciples, it would give them hope after they witnessed the death of our Lord on the cross. It is amazing to know from the Ordo, "August 6 occurs forty days before the feast of the Triumph of the Cross on September 14" (171). We can see that 40 is a perfect number because it is in Sacred Scripture and it is in the traditions of the church. We know that to get to the resurrection, we have to go through the cross. That is why Jesus tells us as his disciples, "You must deny your very self, take up your cross, and follow me." The cross is the tree of life and the resurrection is key to our faith because Jesus Christ has broken the bonds of sin and death by his own passion, death, and resurrection. The transfiguration of Jesus gives us hope for the glory that is come. May this feast fill us with hope because the crosses will come, but we know that they will not have the final say. Eternal life in God's Kingdom will be victorious.