The Byzantine tradition tells us that the Transfiguration is of such importance that it encompasses the entire mystery of “christian prayer”. It is only by willing to enter into this mystery embodied by the Transfiguration, that one starts to discover its great scope. Let us, now, explore one of its aspects.
The Transfiguration could be seen as a spiritual summary of the Mass.
1- First: the Mass used to be mainly celebrated on Sundays, where all the Christians used to gather to meet the Risen Lord. The earliest accounts of that gathering could be found in St. John 20, with the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room, the door closed; see also Luke 24, in the structure of the apparition to the two disciples of Emmaus.
The Three accounts of the Transfiguration give us a hint about the relationship between: the Resurrection (happening on the 7th or 8th day) and the weekly Gathering (the Sunday Mass): “6 days later” (Mt. Mk.), or “8 days later” (Luke).
2- Second: we enter into the Mass by climbing up that High Mountain of the Action of God through the “Divine Liturgy” that God will deploy. Notice that we have to receive a special grace in order to climb. The same Greek verb is used in the Transfiguration as in the Mass: anapherei “Anaphore” meaning “Eucharistic Prayer”. Jesus is the one who “grabs” the celebrants by His Grace and makes them climb with Him.
Hence, we start the Mass by asking forgiveness (Kyrie), preparing ourselves to be put into the Hands of the Mercy of God. This is an act of purification and surrender by offering ourselves to the Hands of Jesus. Later in the Mass, He will elevate our hearts (“lift up your hearts”), and He will secrete them within Himself, or “under the shadow of the Cloud”.
3- Third: the early Church kept the readings of the Sabbath Liturgy of the Synagogue: one reading from the Torah (Pentateuch) and one reading from the Prophets (one can verify that this is still the case in the Jewish Liturgy), and add to it the reading of the Gospels and some readings from the Apostles as well as from Acts.
In the early Church, Christians used to have a very special experience of “seeing” Jesus in the Old Testament (see Luke 24, 1 Cor. 10), namely, what used to happen is that Jesus would “appear” in the Text of the Liturgy of the Old Testament.
Now, in the Transfiguration we have Moses representing the Torah and Elijah the Prophets, side by side with the fact that Jesus’ clothes and face are transformed, transfigured. The “letter” of the text (the “clothes” of the text) of the Old Testament is hereby transfigured and shows the Presence of Jesus. Jesus appears, and sheds a light over the Old Testament (Moses and Elijah), namely, the true significance of Moses and Elijah. All this takes place in the first part of the Mass and the first part of the Transfiguration. In brief, the Power of the Light of the Gospel and the presence of Jesus in the Proclamation of the Gospel, sheds a light over the two readings from the Old Testament.
4- Fourth: we then enter the second part of the Mass, the Eucharistic part. We also enter the second part of the Transfiguration: where the Cloud (symbol of the Presence of God) will overshadow everybody, just as the Eucharist will overshadow everybody, for everybody will receive the Body and the Blood of Jesus, until finally, united in Jesus, it will be only Jesus who will remain (as the text of the Transfiguration will state in Luke 9:36). This is “the vision” par excellence.
5- Fifth: the Transfiguration is about seeing, having a vision: it starts with a promise of seeing the Son of God coming (see this Promise before the Transfiguration), and ends (while coming down the mountain) with Jesus saying “don’t say anything about what you saw.” Receiving the Eucharist is about seeing Jesus, the True Light. This is what everybody sings right after Communion in the Byzantine Rite: “We have seen the True Light, and we have received the Heavenly Spirit”. In Holy Communion, we are truly overshadowed by the Heavenly Spirit as were the Apostles on the Sacred Mountain.
The parallel between the Transfiguration and the Divine Liturgy requires a degree of caution. For me, this shows that Jesus was entrusting the three Apostles, as heads of liturgical traditions, with the Divine Liturgy itself, so, through this unique experience on Mount Tabor, they can understand, enter, and measure the greatness of the one single Mass. He asked them not to reveal what happened during the Transfiguration until He rose from the dead, until He is capable of delivering, on a weekly basis, that “apparition”, that “transfiguration”.
This is why we gather together each Sunday.
Each Sunday we are invited to climb the High Mountain of the Glory of God, to listen to His Word, to see Him transfiguring the Old Testament text, each Sunday, with His Light, as “the Risen Lord”. We are then invited to enter beneath the Divine Cloud (the second part of the Mass where the catechumens were excluded, and the doors shut (see John 20 and the doors shut)), and receive the Communion that makes all of us One in Him, that make us “one Jesus” only.
This invitation, however, poses some important questions. Do we really enter into the Mystery of the Divine Liturgy? Do we really enter into the Mystery of the Transfiguration? Do we understand that the Transfiguration, that is, seeing the Lord’s Glory, it is given to all of us?
To enhance this understanding of our part in the Eucharist, in the Byzantine Rite, during Communion people sing and say that they will not betray the secret of our Lord like Judas, with a kiss. The “secret” is what we see, what we experience during Communion.
Come on great people, be aware of your greatness, of the greatness of just What it is that God is offering you weekly – or even daily!With the great intercession of the Mother of God, we thank You Jesus-God for your indescribable Gift. Amen.