The Grace of the Mountaintop
The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
“The Transfiguration of the Lord”, by Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834–1890).
By: Fr. Ernesto De Ciccio ©
On the Feast of the Transfiguration, we reflect on the moments when God reveals His presence—and how those moments strengthen us for the journey ahead.
A Glimpse of Glory
The Transfiguration of Jesus is one of the most unique moments in his life. Most of the time, when we encounter Jesus in the Gospels, he is working, performing miracles, preaching, teaching, healing, and walking among the poor. Much of the time, he is rejected, persecuted, and even hated.
But for one moment, three apostles get to see Jesus as they have never seen him before: shining in glory. His clothes become dazzling white, and he is surrounded by Moses and Elijah. Moses represents the Law; Elijah represents the Prophets. Together, they give witness to this carpenter from Nazareth, who is not merely a carpenter, but the Son of God, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world.
“. . . It Is Good for Us to Be Here”
You have to love Peter’s reaction. Witnessing this extraordinary sight, he does not want to leave:
Lord, it is good for us to be here. (Matthew 17:4)
In other words: Let’s stay up here. Let’s not go back down the mountain, where we have to be poor again, suffer again, and face persecution again.
Sound familiar?
Anyone who has ever been on vacation knows the feeling. We arrive somewhere beautiful and peaceful, and we think: It is good for us to be here. We do not want to return to daily life, to work, studies, duties, and responsibilities.
From the Mountain to the Mission.
We Cannot Stay on the Mountain
The temptation is to escape. And sometimes escape does us good for a while. It can renew our energy, bring peace, and offer healing.
But we cannot stay on the mountaintop forever. Like the apostles, we are all called back to reality.
Jesus could have given in to that temptation too: Let me stay up here. Forget the road to the Cross.
But Jesus knew who he was, and he knew what he was called to do. So down the mountain he went, and his disciples followed.
Remember the Light
Still, they would never forget what they had seen. God had touched their lives in a special way. Only three of them saw it; the others did not. But those three would carry that vision with them. Even in their darkest hours, they would remember who Jesus was, and whom they had chosen to follow.
And we have had moments like that too.
We have all known moments of transfiguration: moments when we felt God’s presence strongly around us, when life seemed to make sense, when we experienced inner peace, happiness, or even something that felt like a miracle.
Those moments may be few and far between, but we have all been blessed by special graces. Christ has come to us, spoken to us, and made us feel that he is right by our side. Just as those three apostles experienced the Transfiguration, we too have known moments when God’s nearness became real.
Christ Walks with His Disciples Today.
Carrying Grace into the Valley
We need to hold on to those moments and never forget them, because sometimes they are what give us the courage and strength to carry on.
When we have to carry our crosses faithfully behind Jesus, especially in the difficult and painful seasons of life, we remember:
Christ has come to us.
Christ has touched us.
We have felt his presence.
So let us be grateful for our own moments of transfiguration. Not only for the great moment in the life of Jesus, but for the ways each of us has been touched by grace.
Let us hold on to those memories of blessing, and let them carry us through troubled waters and deep valleys. They remind us that one day we will see the transfigured Christ in his glory.
And let us never forget the words of the Father at the Transfiguration:
This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to Him. (Luke 9:35)
Through the good times and the bad, through darkness and light, may we continue to listen to the voice of Jesus as he speaks to us, calls us, and guides our every step.
Homily From Daily TV Mass- August 6,2025.
Fr. Ernesto (Ernie) De Ciccio is a priest of the Archdiocese of Toronto, and he is a frequent celebrant of the Daily TV Mass and regularly shares Gospel reflections, reaching viewers across Canada and beyond.
