AUGUST 6, 2025 – THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD.
- Sts. Sixtus II (Pope), Fellicissimus, and Agapitus (258). Martyr. (Traditional)
- TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD. (Current, Traditional, Eastern Calendar (Melkite and Greek Catholic))
OUR Divine Redeemer, being in Galilee about a year before His Sacred Passion, took with Him St. Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, SS. James and John, and led them to a retired mountain. Tradition assures us that this was Mount Tabor, 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 immediately 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.
REFLECTION: From the contemplation of this glorious mystery we ought to conceive a true idea of future happiness; if this once possess our souls, we will think nothing of any difficulties or labors we can meet with here, but regard with great indifference all the goods and evils of this life, provided we can but secure our portion in the kingdom of God’s glory.
WORD OF THE DAY
MIRACLES OF CHRIST. They may be divided into five classes: nature miracles; miracles of healing; deliverance of demoniacs; victories over hostile wills; cases of resurrection.
Nature Miracles. Under this head nine miracles may be enumerated.
Miracles of Healing. These were numerous during the public life of Our Lord. There are references to a great many cures that are not related in detail (Matthew 4; Luke 4, 6; Mark 6), and twenty special cases are recorded.
Deliverance of Demoniacs. General formulas regarding the driving out of devils (Mark 1) indicate that such acts of deliverance were very numerous during Our Lord’s public life. Special cases related are as follows:
Victories over Hostile Wills. Under this heading Catholic scholars admit a greater or smaller number of miracles; it is not clear in certain cases whether the incidents in which Our Lord wielded extraordinary power over his enemies were cases of supernatural intervention of Divine Power or the natural effects of the ascendancy of his human will over that of other men. Such are the cases mentioned in John (7, 30, and 44; 8, 20, and 59), where the Jews failed to arrest him “because His hour was not yet come,” or, in the fourth case, because he hid himself from them. There are two cases that appear to most Catholic commentators to involve a supernatural display of power over wills: 1. the casting out of the vendors (John 2; Matthew 21; Mark 11; Luke 19); 2. the episode of the escape from the hostile crowd at Nazareth (Luke 4).
Cases of Resurrection. Among the signs of his Messiahship which Our Lord gave to the delegates of John the Baptist, we read: “The dead rise again” (Matthew 11; Luke 7). This general statement has made some commentators think that there were cases of resurrection not described in the Gospels. This is possible because the Gospels do not aim at completeness, but the expression quoted would be justified by the three following cases of resurrection, which are related.
Modern Catholic Dictionary, Fr. John Hardon SJ (Get the real one at Eternal Life — don’t accept an abridged or edited version of this masterpiece!)
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