TransfigA    Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14.  Daniel, like Revelations, is a Scriptural book written in a poetic, prophetic form out of a sense of the awesomeness of God who is infinitely beyond and above this world and who would save all through those who remained loyal to him through the trials of this world.  This passage brings out how spectacular our God is, shining brighter than all the universe put together, with a fieriness mentioned three times to bring out how unspeakably powerful he is, beyond anyone’s imagination.  “Myriads upon myriads attended him,” who witness to his infinite magnificence.  “One like a Son of man” “received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion.”  The Church takes this as an obvious foretelling of the transfigured Jesus.

Matthew 17:1-9.  “And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and clothes became white as light.”  What the world saw in the humanity of Jesus was an ordinary human being who grew up to adulthood in the ordinary way, all in accord with the times in which he lived.  The transfiguration of Jesus offers to the selected three Apostles a view of his divinity, which, except for the miracles, had been hidden from human eyes.  “Moses and Elijah represent respectively law and prophecy in the Old Testament and are linked to Mt. Sinai;  cf. Ex 19, 16-20, 17; 1 Kings 19, 2, 8-14.  They now appear with Jesus as witnesses to the fulfillment of the law and the prophets taking place in the person of Jesus as he appears in glory.” ({Mark} p. 1129, note 9,5, The New American Bible, 1987).  “A bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’”  This parallels the passage from Daniel, testifying that the Son is from and in accord with the Father.  The phrase ‘listen to him’ expresses the desire of the Father that we obey his Son.  What had just happened was truly fearsome to the Apostles, so Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Rise, and do not be afraid.’”  Through the Spirit, Jesus dwells in us daily to touch us with his gentle power, so to protect us from all fear.  Then Jesus commands them not to tell anyone until the resurrection so that they then can witness to his divinity, that is, his capacity to conquer death.

2 Peter 1:16-19.  Peter testifies to what he himself had seen along with the other two Apostles.  Besides the honor and glory given him by God, Peter testifies that God the Father also declared, “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”  Peter writes further, “You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place.” In other words, let Christ be the light that takes away any darkness in your soul.