The thing that I remember the most from Sunday Mass in my hometown church when I was a child is the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament that would often take place at the end of Mass. The monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament would go in procession through the main aisle. The priest would walk under a canopy behind candlesticks, incense, and bells ringing. People would kneel in adoration while they prayed and sang. I remember the music played and, especially, the organist and cantor at the time. He was the same person, a humble older man who would play a small keyboard organ, called harmonium.

I can say that those Expositions of the Blessed Sacrament from my childhood were the first moments that I became aware of the Lord’s divinity. Over the past week, I recalled these memories as I reflected on the readings for today’s feast. To the Apostles Peter, James and John, the Transfiguration of the Lord became the important moment when the Lord’s divinity became clear in their minds.

Up to that point after almost three years following the Lord, the Apostles were not completely sure of the Lord’s divinity. His words and miracles pointed in that direction but there was still room for doubt in their minds. They needed an irrefutable divine intervention to be sure.

What took place at the Transfiguration was literally out of this world. The three Apostles were given the amazing chance to see the reality of heaven and the mystery of God. They saw the splendid light of the Lord, who is pure light. They also saw two famous figures from the Old Testament who had died 1200 and 800 years earlier. The Apostles were given a brief glimpse into the eternity of God, who exists outside of time. The three Apostles also heard the voice of the heavenly Father who introduced his beloved Son to them.

Most Christians like you and me do not have extraordinary events in which the Lord reveals himself to us to help us believe in him. The testimonials of the very few who do, like those with near death experiences, are fascinating to learn about. The prophet Elijah experienced the presence of God through the silence in a cave, not in strong wind or earthquakes or fires. This is the same for many of us. We come to know the Lord’s divinity in the silence of prayer and attentively listening to his saving words.

Saint Peter in today’s magnificent second reading explains that the Apostles announced the Lord’s divinity not using sophisticated stories but simply sharing their testimony as eyewitnesses of the Lord’s Transfiguration. Their testimony should be of great help to people’s faith.

Saint Peter goes further saying that more important than their testimony is the Word of God itself.  They received the Word from the Lord himself to share with believers. The Word of God is reliable, meaning, that it can be trusted. Saint Peter then says, “You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”. What a lovely image of our life and of our human condition. While we live in this world of sin, we are in darkness. However, and thanks be to God, there is a shining lamp, which is the Lord and his Word.

We need to look for that shining lamp and not lose sight of it until the day the Lord may reveal himself to each of us completely. On that glorious day, his resplendent light, the same light that the three blessed Apostles saw with their mortal eyes on the high mountain, will illuminate the darkness of our souls for eternity.

Let us humbly ask the Lord to grant us his grace to be always attentive to his prophetic message.