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How many times in the Gospel’s has the trinity of the God the Father, God the Son – Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit appeared?  If you said two, you would be correct.

The first time is when Jesus was baptized.  As Jesus, God the Son, was being baptized, God the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove, and God the Father said – “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Mt 3:17)

The second time is when Jesus was transfigured on a mountain where his face shone like the sun and his garments became white as light.  Suddenly a bright cloud, God the Holy Spirit, overshadowed him and a voice form the cloud, God the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

This Thursday, 6 August 2020, is The Transfiguration of the Lord.  Again, it is when Jesus took Peter, James, and John up to a Mountain where he was transfigured along with having Moses and Elijah appear talking with Jesus.

Note the similarity of the two where God the Father said, “This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased” in each.  During the transfiguration, however, God the Father went on to say, …listen to him”.  What is the meaning with God the Father saying this? 

The three apostles: Peter, James, and John, see Jesus as they have never seen him before – in dazzling glory.  What else did they see?  The see, on either side of Jesus, Elijah and Moses talking with Jesus.  Moses represents the Law while Elijah represents the tradition of all prophets.  Between them they are the summation of all God’s revelations to his people and they are endorsing Jesus as the continuation of that tradition.  The new covenant!

Then a cloud covers everything.  In scriptural imagery this clearly speaks of the presence of God the Spirit.  From within the cloud comes a voice, which can only be the voice of God Himself: “This is my Son, the Beloved.  Listen to him.” 

This is now the endorsement of the Father Himself for Jesus.  As Jesus asked the Apostles one day, “Who do people say the Son of Man is”, they are now being told to listen very carefully, since Jesus, as Son, speaks with the voice of God. 

“Listen to him,” is the confirmation and the endorsement from God our Father of the real identity of Jesus.

Yes, we too need to listen to everything that Jesus says both by his words and his actions.

The Transfiguration is the supreme endorsement of God the Son by God the Father and is a special moment of encouragement from God the Holy Spirit that Jesus will carry us through any difficult and/or Blessed days ahead. 

Blessings – Dcn Jim