Feast of the Transfiguration - August 6, 2023

 

Homily for August 6, 2023

Feast of the Transfiguration

The Scandal and Its Remedy

 

            Why does Jesus perform this incredible miracle? For a brief moment, the veil was dropped and His Apostles were able to see Him as He truly is – true God, the perfect reflection of the Father, the Glorious One. But why? It wasn’t just to show off – it was to prepare the Apostles for the trial they were about to undergo.

            In a few short weeks, Jesus would undergo His Passion and death – and the Apostles will be shaken to their core. Who is this Man? We thought He was the Savior, the Redeemer – and here He is, hanging upon a Cross, spat upon, rejected, put to death. The Transfiguration is meant to strengthen their Faith in Him, knowing that it would be shaken at the Cross.

            St. Paul talks about the “scandal of the Cross.” The word scandal comes from the Greek “skandalon” meaning “stumbling block”. The Crucifixion of the Son of God was such a stumbling block to belief in Jesus that the early church didn’t even portray it in art. The first paintings of Jesus were not of Him on the Cross, but of Him as the Good Shepherd. In fact, the very first depiction that connects Jesus to the Cross was a mockery – there is a graffiti carving from around the year 200 which depicts a man worshipping a donkey-headed figure on a Cross, with the inscription beneath it, “Alexamenos worships his god”. It was a common mockery for pagans – they thought Christians were utterly absurd to worship a God who would suffer the ultimate humiliation of the Cross.

            So the Transfiguration was a necessary antidote. Yes, Jesus will suffer the ultimate penalty, but that’s not the end of the story – He really will gloriously triumph. Peter, James, and John – you guys just have to hang on and keep faith in Him until He reveals His glory to the world. During those dark times of the Passion, the memory of Christ’s glory could remind them of Who He really is.

            For us too, the Cross can be a scandal when it hits our own lives. It can be a stumbling block in our relationship with God. When we are hit with some suffering, we can be tempted to say, “Is God really there? Does He really love me?” Whether it be an illness or death, the loss of a job, natural disasters, or just the wear-and-tear of everyday life, suffering has a way of weakening our faith.

            So the key is, like the disciples, to go back and remember God’s blessings. We too have seen many signs of God’s presence and love. The times we have experienced love…the material gifts we have…the times we have experienced goodness or beauty…the blessings of our family and friends…all that the Lord has done for us in our Catholic Faith. When we are suffering, we need to “remember the works of the Lord”, as the Scriptures urge us to do. When we are in the valley, we remember what we experienced on the mountaintop.

            In the 800s there was a young noblewoman named Richardis who entered into an arranged marriage to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles (whose actual name was Charles the Fat…I sure am glad that we don’t name people like that any more!). Richardis was very devout and strong in her faith, going to Mass daily and keeping a solid life of prayer and works of charity.

            After twenty years of marriage, Charles began to wonder if all that time she was going to “church” was really a ruse for an affair. He formally accused her of cheating on him. Of course, she maintained her innocence. So he proposed a challenge – the ordeal of fire. This was a thing they used to do in the middle ages – she would walk through a bonfire, and if she was truly innocent, the flames wouldn’t hurt her. Yikes!

            Her whole world was crumbling – her husband had turned against her, and her very life was in jeopardy. When everything crumbled, would her faith crumble too? Were all those prayers for nothing? Was God even real? I’m sure she wondered these things as she faced the bonfire that would seal her fate. But the God Who was there with her in the chapel was also with her in the fire. She walked through the fire, and according to eyewitnesses, the fire parted to allow her to walk through without harm.

            Unfortunately the end of the story is a little odd, as Charles refused to take her back as his wife, and Richardis lived out the rest of her life in prayer on the grounds of a local convent. But when her faith was tested by the Cross, she remembered the faithfulness of God.

            I close with the powerful words of St. Francis de Sales:

            God has guided you thus far in life, and He will lead you safely through all trial and when you cannot stand it, God will hide you in His arms. Do not fear what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you then and every day. He will either shield you from suffering, or will give you unfailing strength to bear it.

            The scandal of the Cross can be endured if we remember the mighty blessings of the Lord. He Who has blessed you in prosperity will strengthen you in adversity.