Pope at Angelus: The Redeemer transfigures wounds of history

By Christopher Wells

Jesus’ Transfiguration, recounted in Sunday’s Gospel, “foreshadows the light of Easter: an event of death and resurrection, of darkness and new light that Christ radiates on all bodies scourged by violence, crucified by pain, or abandoned in misery,” Pope Leo said in his catechesis at the Sunday Angelus.

Although the disciples who accompanied Jesus saw His splendour, it took them time to understand what they had seen, “time in silence to listen to the word, time for conversion in order to enjoy the Lord’s company.”

In his catechesis, the Pope recalled that the disciples saw Jesus, the Word made flesh, standing between the Law and the Prophets, represented by Moses and Elijah.

“As on the day of His Baptism in the Jordan,” Pope Leo said, “we hear the voice of the Father proclaiming, ‘This is My beloved Son,’ while the Holy Spirit envelops Jesus in a ‘bright cloud’.”

This manifestation of the “human splendour of God” allows Peter, James, and John to “contemplate a humble glory, which is not displayed as a spectacle for the crowds to see, but in solemn intimacy.”

The Transfiguration of Jesus’ flesh, shining “with the glory of God” despite the evil in the world, shows that the Redeemer “transfigures the wounds of history, enlightening our minds and hearts; his revelation is a gift of salvation.”

Pope Leo asked, “Does this captivate us? Do we see the true face of God with a gaze of wonder and love?"

And he concluded, “The Father’s reply to the despair of atheism is the gift of his Son, the Saviour; the Holy Spirit redeems us from the loneliness of agnosticism by offering us an everlasting communion of life and grace; and in response to our weak faith, the promise of the future resurrection is announced."