March 13, 2022
Delighting in the Mystery of the Transfiguration
Let us eagerly move up the mountain! How long, after all, shall we delay in the foothills of our discourse, gazing in wonder at the beauty of the ascent before us, when it is possibled to ascend ourselves with those who have been raised up by the Word and have been judged worthy of higher thing? When it is possible for us to be illuminated by the cloud ourselves, and so have our own eyes blinded and yet to be initiated, by an excess of light, into what is above human power? It is now possible for us too, to listen to what is said, even by that blessed voice that reaches us from the Father, as it bears faithful witness to the divinity of the Only-Begotten, and cearly presents to us their substantial identity. Guided by the Spirit, then, let us revel in mystical knowledge of what has come to pass in the Transfiguration of the Lord. For I know myself that the purpose of the Transfiguration has this in view, and that the mystery invites us to sing its praises in this way. For it wants us to understand the depth of what has been accomplished here, and in knowing what is said here, to absorb the grace of the story more effectively by imitating the one who is transfigured – a grace that works this same marvelous and strange mystery also in us…
For Christ has become human, and so shares our present life; an dhe has introduced into our pattern of life the gift of sharing with us a way of life above this world. If we accept the gift, our human life is revealed as fertile in the things of the Spirit, since it has laid aside the sterility caused within it by sin. For this reason, then, humans from now on dance with the angels, praising God together with them and saying, Glory to God in the highest places, and peace on earth, good will among men and women. Here you have, my beloved, the message of the mystery; even if much that we hope for is still missing, still it is not outside what lies in our power. And you may hope for the still higher and more mystical promise from the Word Himself. If you accept it, you can treasure it up within yourself with all eagerness, as an inexplicable, unspeakable word, trusting in the Word until he himself, the Lord who suffered in flesh, conquers death in you and raises you from the dead; and by raising you, as one who had been killed by sin, he will make you divine in the Spirit.
SAINT ANDREW OF CRETE
Saint Andrew of Crete (+ 740) was a Greek monk, archbishop, theologian, and hymnographer. He was influential in the development of the Byzantine liturgy.
