Transfiguration of the Lord – B

On two different occasions, the gospels record the voice of God the Father being heard from heaven saying for all to hear that Jesus is His beloved Son. The first occasion was at the time of Jesus' baptism in the Jordan and the second is on the occasion of His Transfiguration.

At the time of His baptism, Jesus heard the words of His Father as a source of encouragement as He was preparing to begin His public ministry. At the time of His Transfiguration, Jesus heard the words of His Father as a source of encouragement as He was about to embark on His final journey to Jerusalem to experience suffering, death, and ultimately His resurrection.

At this time of the year, many parents will remind their children they are loved as their children embark on new endeavors – the first day of pre-school, kindergarten, middle –school, high school or college. If Jesus needed a word of encouragement from His Father, and a reminder of how much the Father loved Him when He began His public ministry, how much more do our children need reminders of our love for them as they begin new adventures in their lives?

And like Jesus, each one of us each day continues a journey a faith that includes both struggles and sufferings as well as joys and hopes. Like Jesus, as we encounter events and circumstances in our lives that may tempt us to be anxious or afraid we too are helped by a reminder that each one of us is a beloved child of God. This is the message of the feast of the Transfiguration for us today – each one of us, like Jesus, is a beloved child of God!

Today, on this feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, let us remember that Jesus twice heard a voice from heaven, a reminder that He was God's beloved Son. Let us encourage our children with similar words as they prepare to begin new adventures in their lives in the comings weeks ahead, and let us too remember in the midst of the challenges that we sometimes face on our journeys of faith that we too are beloved children of God and that whatever suffering we may experience in this life will certainly give we to the glory we glimpse in the Transfiguration of Jesus which we hope to share in its fullness when we one day share also in the glory of His Resurrection!

Thomas P. Ferguson
August 6, 2006