Transfiguration
24 Alors Jésus dit à ses
disciples : " Si quelqu'un veut venir à ma suite, qu'il se renonce
lui-même, qu'il prenne sa croix et me suive.
25 Car celui qui voudra
sauver sa vie, la perdra; et celui qui perdra sa vie à cause de moi, la
trouvera.
26 Quel profit en effet
aura l'homme, s'il gagne le monde entier, mais perd son âme? Ou que donnera
l'homme en échange de son âme ?
27 Car le Fils de l'homme
doit venir dans la gloire de son Père avec ses anges, et alors il rendra à
chacun selon ses œuvres.
28 Je vous le dis en
vérité, quelques-uns de ceux qui sont ici présents ne goûteront point la mort
qu'ils n'aient vu le Fils de l'homme venant dans son règne. "
Chapitre 17
1 Six jours après, Jésus prend avec lui Pierre, Jacques et Jean son frère, et
il les emmène à l'écart sur une haute montagne
2 Et il se transfigura
devant eux : son visage resplendit comme le soleil, et ses vêtements devinrent
blancs comme la lumière.
3 Et voilà que Moïse et
Elie leur apparurent, conversant avec lui.
4 Prenant la parole,
Pierre dit à Jésus : " Seigneur, il nous est bon d'être ici; si vous le
voulez, je ferai ici trois tentes, une pour vous, une pour Moïse et une pour
Elie. "
5 Il parlait encore,
lorsqu'une nuée lumineuse les couvrit, et voilà que du sein de la nuée une voix
dit : " Celui-ci est mon Fils bien-aimé, en qui j'ai mis mes complaisances
: écoutez-le. "
6 En entendant, les
disciples tombèrent la face contre terre et furent saisis d'une grande frayeur.
7 Et Jésus, s'approchant,
les toucha et dit : " Levez-vous, ne craignez point. "
8 Levant les yeux, ils ne
virent plus que Jésus seul.
9 Comme ils descendaient
de la montagne, Jésus leur fit ce commandement : " Ne parlez à personne de
cette vision, jusqu'à ce que le Fils de l'homme soit ressuscité des morts.
"
10 Les disciples
l'interrogèrent, disant : " Pourquoi donc les scribes disent-ils qu'il
faut qu'Elie vienne d'abord? "
11 Il répondit : "
Elie vient en effet, et il restaurera toutes choses.
12 Mais je vous dis
qu'Elie est déjà venu; et ils ne l'ont pas reconnu, mais ils l'ont traité comme
ils ont voulu. De même le Fils de l'homme doit souffrir par eux. "
13 Les disciples
comprirent alors qu'il leur avait parlé de Jean le Baptiste.
14 Quand ils furent
arrivés près de la foule, un homme s'approcha de lui et, tombant à genoux
devant lui, dit :
15 " Seigneur, ayez
pitié de mon fils, car il est lunatique et il est bien mal : en effet il tombe
souvent dans le feu et souvent dans l'eau.
16 Je l'ai amené à vos
disciples, et ils n'ont pas pu le guérir. "
17 Jésus répondit :
" O génération incrédule et perverse, jusques à quand serai-je avec vous?
Jusques à quand vous supporterai-je ? Amenez-le-moi ici. "
18 Et Jésus lui commanda
avec force, et le démon sortit de lui, et l'enfant fut guéri à l'heure même.
19 Alors les disciples
vinrent trouver Jésus, en particulier, et dirent : " Pourquoi n'avons
nous pas pu le chasser? "
20 Il leur dit : " A
cause de votre manque de foi. En vérité, je vous le dis, si vous avez de la foi
comme un grain de sénevé, vous direz à cette montagne : Passe d'ici là, et elle
y passera, et rien ne vous sera impossible.
21 Mais ce genre (de démon) n'est chassé que par la prière et le jeûne. "
ÉVANGILE SELON SAINT MATTHIEU, XVI : 24- XVII : 1-21
Mosaïque byzantine de la Transfiguration. Monastère Sainte Catherine au Sinaï
1 Il leur dit : " Je vous le dis, en vérité,
quelques-uns de ceux qui sont ici présents ne goûteront point la mort qu'ils
n'aient vu le royaume de Dieu venu avec puissance. "
2 Six jours après, Jésus prend avec lui Pierre, Jacques et Jean, et les emmène
seuls à l'écart, sur une haute montagne. Et il se transfigura devant eux.
3 Ses vêtements devinrent étincelants, tout blancs,
tels qu'aucun foulon sur la terre ne saurait blanchir ainsi.
4 Et Elie leur apparut avec Moïse, conversant avec
Jésus.
5 Pierre, prenant la parole, dit à Jésus : "
Rabbi, il nous est bon d'être ici; faisons trois tentes, une pour vous, une
pour Moïse, et une pour Elie. "
6 Il ne savait en effet quoi dire, l'effroi les ayant
saisis.
7 Et il se fit une nuée qui les couvrit de son ombre,
et de la nuée se fit entendre une voix : " Celui-ci est mon Fils bien-aimé
: écoutez-le. "
8 Aussitôt, regardant tout autour, ils ne virent plus
personne que Jésus, seul avec eux.
9 Comme ils descendaient de la montagne, il leur fit
commandement de ne raconter à personne ce qu'ils avaient vu, sinon quand le
Fils de l'homme serait ressuscité des morts.
10 Et ils gardèrent pour eux la chose, tout en se
demandant entre eux ce que signifiait " ressusciter des morts ".
11 Ils l'interrogeaient, disant : " Pourquoi les scribes disent-ils qu'il
faut qu'Elie vienne d'abord? "
12 Il leur dit : " Elie doit venir d'abord et
restaurer toutes choses. Et comment est-il écrit du Fils de l'homme qu'il doit
souffrir beaucoup et être méprisé ?
13 Mais je vous dis qu'Elie est venu, et ils l'ont traité comme ils ont voulu, selon qu'il est écrit de lui. "
14 Etant venus vers les disciples, ils virent une foule nombreuse autour d'eux,
et des scribes qui discutaient avec eux.
15 Et aussitôt qu'elle l'eut vu, toute la foule fut
stupéfaite, et elle accourut pour le saluer.
16 Il leur demanda : " Que discutez-vous avec eux
? "
17 Un de la foule lui répondit : " Maître, je
vous ai amené mon fils, qui a un esprit muet.
18 Partout où il s'empare de lui, il le jette contre
terre, et il écume, grince des dents et se raidit. Et j'ai dit à vos disciples
de le chasser, et ils ne l'ont pu. "
19 Il leur répondit : " O génération incrédule,
jusques à quand serai-je près de vous ? Jusques à quand vous supporterai-je?
Amenez-le-moi. "
20 Et ils le lui amenèrent. A sa vue, l'esprit le jeta
aussitôt à terre, et tombé sur le sol, il se roulait en écumant.
21 Et il demanda au père : " Combien y a-t-il de
temps que cela lui arrive ? — Depuis l'enfance, dit-il.
22 Et souvent il l'a jeté dans le feu et dans l'eau
pour le faire périr. Mais, si vous pouvez quelque chose, venez à notre aide par
pitié pour nous. "
23 Jésus lui dit : " Si vous pouvez ! Tout est
possible à celui qui croit. "
24 Aussitôt le père de l'enfant s'écria : " Je
crois ! Venez au secours de mon manque de foi ! "
25 Jésus, voyant accourir une foule, commanda avec
force à l'esprit impur, lui disant : " Esprit muet et sourd, je te le
commande, sors de lui et ne rentre plus en lui. "
26 Et ayant poussé un grand cri et l'ayant jeté à
terre avec violence, il sortit; et il devint comme mort, si bien que beaucoup
disaient : " Il est mort. "
27 Mais Jésus, l'ayant pris par la main, le fit lever, et il se tint debout.
28 Lorsqu'il fut entré dans la maison, ses disciples lui demandèrent en
particulier : " Pourquoi n'avons-nous pu le chasser ? "
29 Il leur dit : " Ce genre ne peut être chassé que par la prière [et le jeûne]. "
ÉVANGILE SELON SAINT MARC, IX : 1-29
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23 Et, s'adressant à
tous, il dit : " Si quelqu'un veut venir à ma suite, qu'il se renonce
lui-même, qu'il prenne sa croix chaque jour et me suive.
24 Car celui qui voudra
sauver sa vie la perdra; et celui qui perdra sa vie à cause de moi, la sauvera.
25 Quel profit en effet a
l'homme qui a gagné le monde entier, mais qui s'est ruiné lui-même ou perdu ?
26 Celui qui aura eu honte de moi et de mes paroles, le Fils de l'homme aura
honte de lui, lorsqu'il viendra dans sa gloire et celle du Père et des saints
anges.
27 Je vous le dis en
vérité, quelques-uns de ceux qui sont ici présents ne goûteront point la mort
qu'ils n'aient vu le royaume de Dieu. "
28 Il se passa environ huit jours après (qu'il eut dit) ces paroles, et,
prenant avec lui Pierre, Jean et Jacques, il monta sur la montagne pour prier.
29 Pendant qu'il priait,
l'aspect de son visage devint autre, et son vêtement d'un blanc éblouissant.
30 Et voilà que deux
hommes conversaient avec lui : c'étaient Moïse et Elie,
31 qui, apparaissant en
gloire, parlaient de sa mort qu'il devait accomplir à Jérusalem.
32 Pierre et ses
compagnons étaient accablés de sommeil ; mais, s'étant réveillés, ils virent sa
gloire et les deux hommes qui se tenaient avec lui.
33 Or, comme ils se
séparaient de lui, Pierre dit à Jésus : " Maître, il nous est bon d'être
ici; faisons trois tentes : une pour vous, une pour Moïse et une pour Elie,
" ne sachant pas ce qu'il disait.
34 Comme il disait cela,
il se fit une nuée qui les couvrit de son ombre; et ils furent saisis de
frayeur tandis qu'ils entraient dans la nuée.
35 Et de la nuée se fit
entendre une voix qui disait : " Celui-ci est mon Fils élu : écoutez-le.
"
36 Pendant que la voix
parlait, Jésus se trouva seul Et ils gardèrent le silence, et ils ne
racontèrent rien à personne, en ce temps-là, de ce qu'ils avaient vu.
37 Le jour suivant, lorsqu'ils furent descendus de la montagne, une foule
nombreuse se porta à sa rencontre.
38 Et voilà que de la
foule un homme s'écria : " Maître, je vous en prie, jetez un regard sur
mon fils, car c'est mon unique.
39 Un esprit
s'empare-t-il de lui qu'aussitôt il pousse des cris, et il l'abat en le faisant
écumer, à grand'peine le quitte-t-il après l'avoir tout meurtri.
40 J'ai prié vos
disciples de le chasser, et ils ne l'ont pu. "
41 Jésus répondit :
" O génération incrédule et perverse, jusques à quand serai-je près de
vous et vous supporterai-je? Conduis ici ton fils. "
42 Et comme il
approchait, le démon le jeta par terre et l'abattit. Mais Jésus commanda avec
force à l'esprit impur et guérit l'enfant, et il le rendit à son père.
43 Et tous étaient stupéfaits devant la grandeur de Dieu.
ÉVANGILE SELON SAINT LUC, IX : 23-43
Transfiguration du
Seigneur
(1er s.)
Au moment de commencer sa
montée vers sa Passion, Jésus prend avec lui Pierre, Jacques et Jean et les
emmène sur une montagne, le mont Thabor selon la tradition. Là, il est
transfiguré devant eux et reçoit du Père ce témoignage: "Celui-ci est mon
Fils bien-aimé." Au jardin des Oliviers, au soir de son arrestation,
ce sont les mêmes, Pierre, Jacques et Jean, que Jésus prendra avec lui. Ce
n'est pas une coïncidence. Ceux qui allaient le voir défiguré ("il n'avait
plus figure humaine" avait annoncé le prophète Isaïe) ce sont eux qui
devaient, auparavant, l'avoir vu transfiguré: le Jésus Fils de Dieu est le même
que le Jésus crucifié. La fête de la Transfiguration est très ancienne dans
l'Orient chrétien. Elle fut très tôt fixée au 6 août, en plein été. Au Xe
siècle, elle devint même, par décision de l'empereur, fête chômée dans tout
l'empire byzantin. En Occident, après avoir été longtemps fête locale, elle fut
constituée fête universelle après la victoire qui stoppa l'avance turque en
1456. La date liturgique de sa célébration fut choisie d'après la pratique des
Églises orientales. Avec le Baptême du Christ, c'est une fête de théophanie,
c'est-à-dire de manifestation du Christ comme Fils de Dieu. Elle est célébrée
en ce jour par l'Église d'Occident et tous les Orientaux byzantins, syriens et
coptes. L'Église arménienne la reporte au dimanche suivant.
La Transfiguration: 'avoir part un jour à sa
gloire' (site des Jeunes Cathos) - homélie de saint Léon
le Grand, pape au Ve siècle et docteur de l’Église
Fête de la
Transfiguration du Seigneur, qui célèbre le jour où, sur le mont Thabor, le
Christ Jésus, devant ses Apôtres Pierre, Jacques et Jean, manifesta sa gloire
de Fils bien-aimé du Père, en présence de Moïse et d’Élie apportant le
témoignage de la Loi et des Prophètes.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/1633/Transfiguration-du-Seigneur.html
Descends, Pierre
Tandis que Pierre parlait survint
une nuée lumineuse qui les couvrit de son ombre. Pierre désirait trois
tentes : la réponse venue du ciel montra que nous n’en avons qu’une, que
l’esprit humain voulait pourtant diviser. Le Verbe de Dieu est le Christ, le
Verbe de Dieu est dans la Loi, le Verbe de Dieu est dans les Prophètes.
Pourquoi, Pierre, cherches-tu à le diviser ? Tu devrais plutôt unir. Tu
demandes trois tentes : comprends qu’il n’y en a qu’une.
Descends, Pierre. Tu
désirais te reposer sur la montagne ? Le Seigneur te dit :
« Descends pour peiner et servir en ce monde, pour être méprisé et
crucifié en ce monde. » La vie est descendue pour être mise à mort, le
pain est descendu pour endurer la faim, la voie est descendue pour se fatiguer
sur le chemin, la source est descendue pour endurer la soif, et toi, tu refuses
de souffrir ? Ne cherche pas ton profit. Pratique la charité, annonce la
vérité. Tu parviendras alors à l’immortalité, et, avec elle, tu trouveras la
paix.
St Augustin d’Hippone
Saint Augustin († 430)
était évêque d’Hippone, en Afrique du Nord. / Sermon 78, 2-6, trad. dir.
par H. Delhougne, Les Pères de l’Église commentent l’Évangile, Brepols,
Turnhout, 1991, n° 215.
SOURCE : https://fr.aleteia.org/daily-prayer/dimanche-25-fevrier-2/meditation-de-ce-jour-1/
Giovanni Bellini. La Transfiguration, 1485,
115 x 152, Galleria Nazionale di Capodimonte
Transfiguration
The Transfiguration
of Christ is
the culminating point of His public life, as His Baptism is
its starting point, and His Ascension its
end. Moreover, this glorious event has been related in detail by St.
Matthew (17:1-6), St.
Mark (9:1-8),
and St.
Luke (9:28-36),
while St.
Peter (2
Peter 1:16-18) and St.
John (1:14),
two of the privileged witnesses, make allusion to it.
About a week after His
sojourn in Cæsarea
Philippi, Jesus took
with him Peter and James and John and
led them to a high mountain apart, where He was transfigured before their
ravished eyes. St.
Matthew and St.
Mark express this phenomenon by the word metemorphothe, which
the Vulgate renders transfiguratus
est. The Synoptics explain
the true meaning
of the word by adding "his face did shine as the sun: and his garments
became white as snow," according to the Vulgate,
or "as light," according to the Greek text.
This dazzling brightness
which emanated from His whole Body was produced by an interior shining of His
Divinity. False Judaism had
rejected the Messias,
and now true Judaism,
represented by Moses and Elias,
the Law and
the Prophets,
recognized and adored Him,
while for the second time God
the Father proclaimed Him His only-begotten and well-loved Son.
By this glorious manifestation the Divine
Master, who had just foretold His Passion to
the Apostles (Matthew
16:21), and who spoke with Moses and Elias of
the trials which awaited Him at Jerusalem,
strengthened the faith of
his three friends and prepared them for the terrible struggle of which they
were to be witnesses in Gethsemani,
by giving them a foretaste of the glory and heavenly
delights to which we attain by suffering.
Location of the
Transfiguration
Already in Apostolic times
the mount of the Transfiguration had become the "holy mount" (2
Peter 1:18). It seems to have been known by
the faithful of
the country, and tradition identified
it with Mount
Thabor. Origen said
(A.D. 231-54) "Thabor is the mountain of Galilee on
which Christ was
transfigured" (Comm. in Ps. lxxxviii, 13). In the next century St.
Cyril of Jerusalem (Catechetical
Lectures II.16) and St.
Jerome (Epistles
46, 53 and 108)
likewise declare it categorically. Later St.
Proculus, Patriarch of
Constantinople (d. 447; Orat. viii, in Transfig.), Agathangelus (Hist.
of Armenia, II, xvii), and Arnobius the Younger (d. 460; Comm. in Ps. lxxxviii,
13) say the same thing. The testimonies increase from century to century
without a single dissentient note, and in 553 the Fifth
Council of Constantinople erected a see at Mount
Thabor (Notitif. Antioch. . . . patriarch.).
Some modern writers claim
that the Transfiguration could not have taken place on Mount
Thabor, which, according to Josephus,
was then surmounted by a city. This is incorrect; the Jewish historian
speaks neither of a city nor a village; he simply fortified, as he repeats
three times, "the mount called Itabyrion" ("Bell. Jud.",
II, xx, 6; IV, i, 8; Vita, 37). The town of Atabyrion of Polybius, the Thabor
or Celeseth Thabor, the "flank of Thabor" of the Bible,
is situated at the foot of Mount
Thabor. In any case the presence of houses on a wooded height would not
have made it impossible to find a place apart.
It is again objected
that Our
Lord was transfigured on Mount
Hermon, since He was at that time in its vicinity. But the Synoptics are
all explicit concerning the lapse of time, six days, or about eight days
including those of departure and arrival, between the discourse in Cæsarea and
the Transfiguration, which would infer a somewhat lengthy journey. Moreover the
summits of Hermon are
covered with snow as late as June, and even the lesser peaks of 4000 or 5000
feet are likewise snow-covered in February and March, the period of the
Transfiguration. Finally, the ancients judged of the height of mountains by
their appearance, and Thabor especially
was considered a "high mountain", if not by David and Jeremias,
at least by Origen and St.
Jerome and the pilgrims who
made the ascent.
Meistermann,
Barnabas. "Transfiguration." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol.
15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 13 Apr.
2020 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15019a.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Paul T. Crowley. Dedicated to
Father Edward V. Rutowski.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2023 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15019a.htm
The Transfiguration of
Our Lord
Matt. xviii;
Mark ix;
Luke ix.
OUR Divine Redeemer, in order
to show us that the sufferings of his servants are usually intermingled with
frequent spiritual comforts, and to give us a sensible demonstration of the
truth of his promises of an eternal glory reserved for us in the world to come,
was pleased to manifest a glimpse of his majesty in the mystery of his
Transfiguration. Being in Galilee, about a year before his sacred passion, he
chose to be witnesses of his glory the same three beloved disciples who were
afterwards to be witnesses of his bloody agony in the garden—namely, St. Peter,
and the two sons of Zebedee, SS. James and John. He took three, that their
evidence might be unexceptionable; but he would not publicly discover his
glory, to teach his followers to love the closest secrecy in all spiritual graces
and favours. All pretences contrary to this rule are suggested by blind
self-love, not by the spirit of God; they are a disguised pride, and a
dangerous illusion. Every true servant of God loves to be hidden and concealed;
his motto in the divine gifts, even when he most ardently invites all creatures
to magnify the Lord with him for all His unspeakable mercies, is: My
secret to myself, my secret to myself. 1 He
fears lest he should be at all considered or thought of in what purely belongs
to God alone. Jesus therefore would exhibit this miracle in retirement, and he
led these three apostles to a retired mountain, as he was accustomed to repair
often to some close solitude to pray. The tradition of the Christians in
Palestine, of which St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. John Damascen, and other
ancient fathers are vouchers, assures us, that this was mount Thabor, which is
exceeding high and beautiful, and was anciently covered with green trees and
shrubs, and was very fruitful. It rises something like a sugar loaf, in a vast
plain, in the middle of Galilee. This was the place in which the Man-God
appeared in his glory. He was transfigured whilst at prayer, because it is
usually in this heavenly commerce that the soul receives the dew of divine
consolations, and tastes how infinitely sweet and good God is to those who
sincerely seek him. Many Christians indeed are strangers to this effect of that
holy exercise, because they do not apply themselves to it with assiduity and
fervour, or neglect to disengage their affections from creatures by perfect
humility, self-denial, and mortification of the senses. Without a great purity
of heart no man shall see God. A little bird-lime entangles the feathers of a
bird, and holds down the strongest pinion from being able to raise the body in
the air. So the least earthly dust clogs the wings of the soul, the least
inordinate attachment to creatures is a weight which hinders the perfect union
of her affections with God, and the full flow of his graces upon her; but a
Christian worthily disposed and fitted by the Holy Ghost to receive the spirit
of prayer, by assiduity in that holy exercise purifies his love more and more,
transforms his affections, and renders them more and more spiritual and
heavenly. Of this, the Transfiguration of our Divine Redeemer was, among other
transcending prerogatives, a most noble and supereminent prototype.
Whilst Jesus prayed he
suffered that glory which was always due to his sacred humility, and of which
for our sake he deprived it, to diffuse a ray over his whole body. His face was
altered, and shone as the sun, and his garments became white as snow. By this
glorious transfiguration of his flesh he has animated our hope, that even our
bodies will share with our immortal souls in the bliss which he has promised
us, and will inherit his glory. Do we often bear in mind this comfortable
truth? Can we believe it, and not always be employed in the thoughts of it? Can
we think of it, and not be ravished out of ourselves with holy joy? Yes; this
heavy lumpish flesh, these infirm corruptible bodies, at present so often
subject to sickness, pain, and wants, will one day be raised from the dust,
glorified, impassable; no more liable to heat, cold, diseases, torment, or
tears; beautiful, transcending in lustre and brightness the sun and stars;
endued with swiftness beyond that of light, and with strength equal to the
angels; with the power of penetrating all bodies, as Christ did the stone of
the sepulchre, and the doors when shut; with dazzling glory, with unspeakable
pleasure in every part or organ; in a word, with all the communicable gifts and
qualities of spirits, resembling the body of Christ glorified after his resurrection,
which, as St. Paul tells us, is the model upon which ours shall be raised in
glory. A glimpse of all this appeared in the splendour wherewith his adorable
humanity was clothed in his Transfiguration.
Moses and Elias were seen
by the three apostles in his company on this occasion, and were heard
discoursing with him of the death which he was to suffer in Jerusalem. Moses
represented the ancient patriarchs, and the first saints who lived under the
law; Elias the later prophets; and they showed by their presence that all the
just inspired by God from the beginning had given testimony to Christ as the
true Messias. They had both been remarkable for their sufferings in the cause
of virtue, Elias having been exceedingly persecuted by the wicked, and Moses
having chosen rather to be afflicted with the people of God than to enjoy the
greatest honours and pleasures of Pharaoh’s court; and the cross being the
constant object of the most ardent desires of our blessed Redeemer out of the
excess of his love for us, they spoke to him of nothing but of the stripes,
thorns, reproaches, and cruel death which he was to suffer. Our loving Saviour,
in part to moderate his ardour to complete his sacrifice by the triumph of his
love in his death on the cross, had made it frequently the subject of his
conversation with his disciples, and even in this joyful mystery, would
entertain himself and the witnesses of his glory upon it. If we truly consider
and understand the spiritual fruits and glory of mortification and suffering
for Christ, we shall rejoice in wearing the livery of our crucified Redeemer.
The three apostles were wonderfully delighted with this glorious vision, and
St. Peter cried out to Christ: Lord, it is good for us to be here. Let us
make three tents; one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias. This he
spoke, not knowing what he said, being out of himself in a transport of holy
admiration and joy; desiring never to be drawn from the sight of so glorious an
object, and never to lose that sweetness and delight with which his soul was
then overwhelmed. He truly knew not what he said, or he would never have
desired that for the time of trial on earth which is reserved only for heaven.
Neither would he have contented himself with beholding only the glorified humanity
of Christ, which vision can bear no proportion to the beatific contemplation of
the divinity itself. He tasted only a single drop of that overflowing river
which inebriates the heavenly Jerusalem, and all its blessed inhabitants; yet
was so much transported by it. What would he then have said if he had received
into his soul the whole impetuous torrent of heavenly delights? He who has once
tasted that spiritual sweetness which God sometimes bestows on souls in this
life to strengthen their weakness, and to attract them to his love by the sweet
odour of his ointments, must ever after live in bitterness, alleviated only by
resignation and love, till he arrive at the fountain itself, which is God. No
wonder therefore that St. Peter, after this foretaste was unwilling to return
again to the earth. How little do the lovers of the world know the incomparable
sweetness of divine love, or they would despise from their hearts those toys
for which they deprive themselves of so great a good! Yet so depraved is the
taste of many by their passions, that they would be content, were it possible,
always to live here, and never think of the joys of heaven. “How can it be good
for us to be here,” cries out St. Bernard, 2 “where
everything in worldly pursuits is tedious, empty, or dangerous? Here is much
malice, and very little wisdom, if even a little. Here all things are slippery
and treacherous, covered with darkness, and full of snares, where souls are
exposed to continual danger of perishing, the spirit sinks under affliction,
and nothing is found but vanity and trouble of mind.” To the just this life is
the time of trials and labour; heaven is our place of rest, our eternal
sabbath, where our patience and tears will find their reward exceeding great.
Why do we seek repose before the end of our warfare?
Whilst St. Peter was
speaking, there came, on a sudden, a bright shining cloud from heaven, an
emblem of the presence of God’s majesty, and from out of this cloud was heard a
voice which said: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear
ye him. By this testimony the Father declared Christ his only begotten and
co-eternal Son, sent by him into the world to be the remedy of our sins, our
advocate and our propitiation, through whom alone we can find access to his
offended majesty. If through him we approach the throne of his mercy, we cannot
be rejected, he being in his humanity the object of the infinite complacency of
the Father; through him we are invited to apply with confidence for mercy and
every good gift. By the same voice the Father also declared him the perfect model
of our virtues, and commands us to hear him, and attend to his example, in
order to square by it our lives, and to form in our souls a new spirit grounded
upon the pattern he hath set us of humility, meekness, charity, and patience.
He commands us also to listen with the utmost respect and docility to his
saving and most holy doctrine, which is the word of eternal life. The apostles
who were present, upon hearing this voice, were seized with a sudden fear and
fell upon the ground; but Jesus, going to them, touched them, and bade them to
rise. They immediately did so, and saw no one but Jesus standing in his
ordinary state. This vision happened in the night. As they went down the
mountain early the next morning, Jesus gave them a charge not to discover to any
one what they had seen till he should be risen from the dead. The Jews were
unworthy to hear what many among them would have only blasphemed, and they had
sufficient evidence by his miracles, to which they wilfully shut their eyes;
but Jesus would by this give us a fresh lesson of humility, and teach us that
secrecy with regard to divine graces, and the exercise of all extraordinary
virtues, is the guardian of those gifts.
From the contemplation of
this glorious mystery we ought to conceive a true idea of future happiness; if
this once possess our souls, it will make us not to value any difficulties or
labours we can meet with here, but to regard with great indifference all the
goods and evils of this life, provided we can but secure our portion in the
kingdom of God’s glory. Thabor is our encouragement by setting that bliss
before our eyes; but Calvary is the way that leads to it. When Christ shall let
us into the secrets of his love and cross, and make us taste that interior
sweetness and secure peace which he hath hidden therein, and which the world
knoweth not, then we shall find a comfort and joy in our sufferings themselves,
and with St. Paul we shall think of nothing but of loving, and suffering in
what manner it shall please God to make us tread in the footsteps of his divine
Son, being solicitous only to walk in the continual exercise of pure love. The
ninety-fourth sermon of St. Leo, which is on this mystery, shows this festival
to have been observed at Rome in the middle of the fifth century. Pope Calixtus
III. made it more universal and solemn by a bull, dated in 1457.
Note 2. S. Bern.
Serm. 6, in Ascens. [back]
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume VIII: August. The Lives of the Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/8/061.html
Trasfigurazione del
Signore
La liturgia romana
leggeva il brano evangelico riferito all'episodio della trasfigurazione il
sabato delle Quattro Tempora di Quaresima, mettendo così in relazione questo
mistero con quello della passione. Lo stesso evangelista Matteo inizia il
racconto con le parole: «Sei giorni dopo» (cioè dopo la solenne confessione di
Pietro e il primo annuncio della passione), «Gesù prese con sé Pietro, Giacomo
e Giovanni, suo fratello, e li condusse sopra un alto monte, in disparte. E si
trasfigurò davanti a loro: il suo volto risplendette come il sole e le sue
vesti divennero candide come la luce». C'è in questo episodio una netta
contrapposizione all'agonia dell'orto del Getsemani. La trasfigurazione, che fa
parte del mistero della salvezza, è ben degna di una celebrazione liturgica che
la Chiesa, sia in Occidente come in Oriente, ha comunque celebrato in vario
modo e in date differenti, finché papa Callisto III elevò di grado la festa,
estendendola alla Chiesa universale.
Martirologio
Romano: Festa della Trasfigurazione del Signore, nella quale Gesù Cristo,
il Figlio Unigenito, l’amato dell’Eterno Padre, davanti ai santi Apostoli
Pietro, Giacomo e Giovanni, avendo come testimoni la legge ed i profeti,
manifestò la sua gloria, per rivelare che la nostra umile condizione di servi
da lui stesso assunta era stata per opera della grazia gloriosamente redenta e
per proclamare fino ai confini della terra che l’immagine di Dio, secondo la
quale l’uomo fu creato, sebbene corrotta in Adamo, era stata ricreata in
Cristo.
Il 6 agosto la Chiesa fa
memoria della Trasfigurazione di Nostro Signore. Gesù scelse di prendere con sé
il primo Papa e «i figli del tuono» («Boanèrghes», Mc 3, 17) per salire sul
Monte Tabor a pregare. Sei giorni prima aveva detto ai suoi discepoli: «vi sono
alcuni tra i presenti che non morranno finché non vedranno il Figlio dell’uomo
venire nel suo regno» (Mt 16, 28) ed ecco che Pietro, Giacomo e Giovanni furono
scelti per assistere all’ineffabile: Cristo apparve nel suo Corpo glorioso.
Infatti, mentre pregava,
«il suo volto cambiò d’aspetto e la sua veste divenne candida e sfolgorante»
(Lc 9, 29) e due uomini, anch’essi apparsi nella loro gloria, parlavano con Lui
del compimento in Gerusalemme del suo sacrificio: erano Mosè ed Elia che
rappresentavano la Legge e i Profeti.
Sant’Agostino spiega, nel
Discorso 78, che i suoi vestiti sono la sua Chiesa. «Se i vestiti non fossero
tenuti ben stretti da colui che l’indossa, cadrebbero. Che c’è di strano se
mediante il vestito bianchissimo viene simboleggiata la Chiesa, dal momento che
sentite dire dal profeta Isaia: Anche se i vostri peccati fossero come
scarlatto, lì farò diventare bianchi come neve (Is 1, 18)?». Dunque anche se i
peccati commessi dagli uomini di Chiesa fossero di colore rosso scarlatto, la
sua Sposa avrebbe comunque un abito candido e rilucente grazie al Sole, Cristo.
A tale visione Pietro
esprime sentimenti soltanto umani, senza pensieri soprannaturali: «Maestro, è
bello per noi stare qui. Facciamo tre tende, una per te, una per Mosè e una per
Elia» e, a questo punto, l’evangelista Luca precisa: «Egli non sapeva quel che
diceva»; Pietro, la pietra sulla quale Cristo avrebbe edificato la sua Chiesa,
seppure di fronte alla bellezza della maestà del Salvatore, utilizza canoni di
carattere terreno. Spiega ancora sant’Agostino: «È bello per noi, o Signore –
dice – stare qui. Era infastidito dalla folla, aveva trovato la solitudine sul
monte; lì aveva Cristo come cibo dell’anima.
Perché avrebbe dovuto scendere
per tornare alle fatiche e ai dolori mentre lassù era pieno di sentimenti di
santo amore verso Dio e che gl’ispiravano perciò una santa condotta? Voleva
star bene». Di fronte a Cristo glorioso Pietro aveva trovato la felicità e non
avrebbe più voluto muoversi da quel luogo. La risposta giunse mentre egli
ancora parlava: arrivò una nube e li avvolse e da essa uscì una voce: «Questi è
il Figlio mio, l’eletto; ascoltatelo», la stessa voce che si era udita quando
San Giovanni Battista aveva battezzato Gesù sulle rive del Giordano: «Tu sei il
Figlio mio prediletto, in te mi sono compiaciuto» (Mc 1,9-11).
E quando la voce cessò
Gesù rimase solo. Il Vescovo di Tagaste afferma che Pietro cercava tre tende,
ma la risposta venuta dal Cielo mostrò invece «che noi ne abbiamo una sola,
mentre la mentalità umana voleva dividerla. Cristo è la Parola di Dio, Parola
di Dio nella Legge, Parola di Dio nei Profeti. Perché, o Pietro, cerchi di
dividerlo? È necessario piuttosto che tu rimanga unito a lui. Tu cerchi tre tende:
devi comprendere ch’è una sola!». Sempre vere, sempre attuali le parole di
questo Padre della Chiesa, il Papa è chiamato a non dividere Cristo: «Scendi,
Pietro; desideravi riposare sul monte: scendi; predica la parola di Dio,
insisti in ogni occasione opportuna e importuna, rimprovera, esorta, incoraggia
usando tutta la tua pazienza e la tua capacità d’insegnare.
Lavora, affaticati molto,
accetta anche sofferenze e supplizi affinché, mediante il candore e la bellezza
delle buone opere, tu possegga nella carità ciò ch’è simboleggiato nel candore
delle vesti del Signore. Poiché nell’elogio della carità, letto nella lettera
dell’Apostolo, abbiamo sentito: Non cerca i propri interessi (1 Cor 13, 5). Non
cerca i propri interessi perché dona quel che possiede».
Su quel monte il Padre si
manifestò nella voce, il Figlio nella sua carne trasfigurata, lo Spirito Santo
nella nube luminosa. E Pietro desiderava fare una tenda per il Re che non volle
possedere neanche una pietra su cui posare il capo? Il Salvatore non venne per
preparare case temporanee nella logica del mondo, ma per predisporre una
splendida e perenne dimora nel Suo Regno, dove il grano ondeggerà nel Dio Uno e
Trino.
Autore: Cristina
Siccardi
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