When “Dazzlement” Falls Short
It is interesting to consider how this episode of the Gospel of the “Transfiguration” has been assimilated into our collective imagination. A scene like this, so rich in revelatory meaning, is often presented to us and understood as a dazzling spectacle that, though impressive, ultimately proves fleeting; this, in a way, diminishes the episode’s revelatory power. However, it is worth seriously asking whether Jesus’ dazzling presence truly communicates something of His person, of His mystery. After all, upon seeing light and brilliance, we almost instinctively react and feel drawn—how wonderful it is to be there! But perhaps, in the case of this episode, it would be better to delve deeper into the experience the text narrates.
Peter’s Haste and the Temptation to “Add Our Voice”
In the initial moment of the episode, Jesus appears with gestures that manifest His divine glory: with a radiant face, clothes white as light, and conversing with Moses and Elijah. Meanwhile, He does not address Peter, James, and John, with whom He has ascended the mountain, at this point; He merely allows Himself to be seen. It is Peter who then speaks up in this situation, addressing Jesus to express how good it is to be there. However, it is important to delve into Peter’s attitude, which, though receptive and welcoming, is nonetheless hasty and perhaps out of place. It is not about always labeling poor Peter as impulsive; the matter here is of a different nature. This action of Peter allows us to discover a very human attitude that we often adopt when we perceive divine manifestations: confronted with an episode of this kind, we want to put our own pronouncement first—’my voice must also be heard!’ We delight and marvel at such sublime gestures that speak of glory, but in truth, we have not yet entered into that reality. Like the three disciples, we have not yet heard anything divine, and although we see something that transcends our human condition, we speak up and want to have the last word, or sometimes, the only word, thereby remaining confined within ourselves. Perhaps, without fully realizing it, this entire experience of the “Transfiguration” is reduced to the confines of our own schemes, causing us to miss what God truly wishes to reveal to us.
The Disorienting Voice and the Touching Jesus
Nevertheless, the voice of God, even while we are still speaking, makes itself heard beyond our pronouncements; a powerful voice that disorients us; a voice in the purest style of Psalm 29: ‘It breaks the cedars of Lebanon! It flashes forth flames of fire! It shakes the mountains!’ A voice that, even while terrifying, leads us into a revelatory experience. And so, a new experience begins; more than a dazzling spectacle, there is now a presence that makes us listen and invites us to listen: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” And we discover Jesus, the mystery of His person, accredited by the Father, He who partakes in the source of love and transmits to us from there a message of comfort and salvation; a message not like our simple words, for, as the Gospel episode itself narrates, Jesus approaches, touches His disciples, and says to them: “Rise, and do not be afraid.” We discover Jesus, a mystery beyond a dazzling display, a mystery beyond the pronouncement of our words; it is Jesus! who is with us in the most disconcerting moments, it is Jesus! who touches us and feels our deepest reality, it is Jesus! who saves us and helps us rise from our deepest sorrows. May this brief reflection on this Gospel episode allow us to re-read the divine manifestations in our lives and truly enter into the mystery of Jesus, of His person who is transfigured before us.
From Blindness to Light: The Path of Faith in the Gospel of the Man Born Blind