The Transfiguration Promising an Exodus
The second Sunday of Lent, every year, we have the story of the Transfiguration. And on August 6 we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration. The Transfiguration on the second Sunday is repeatable whereas August 6 moves weekday to weekday according to the calendar year. Many people do not realize that we have this feast day in August as it falls on Sunday every six or seven years.
Our Protestant brothers and sisters celebrate the Transfiguration on the Sunday before Lent. Their reasoning is that we need to know the glory of God to help us through Lent. As we Catholics recognize the same importance, so did the Apostles come to remember the Transfiguration after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. It gave Peter, James, and John a blessing and knowledge of the glorified body of Christ. That is why Jesus tells his disciples to say nothing of the vision they just witnessed till later.
Elijah and Moses speak of the exodus Jesus is about to undergo. Jesus is passing through this life just as Moses passed through the waters of the Red Sea. When Moses passed through the waters the people were freed from Egypt and could now enter the promised land. Jesus passes through this life and through His death leads us to the promised land to eternal life with the Father. Where one day, we too, will be given a glorified body. Just as Jesus did so do we follow Him on this exodus. We must experience our own exodus. Remembering the Transfiguration gives us strength and courage to continue on this journey to the Father.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen