Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time (August 6, 2018): Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Think of an area of your life that’s in darkness, confusion, or turmoil. What can transform this into holiness, clarity of understanding, and peace?

Today’s Gospel reading shows us the answer: the light of Christ. His transfiguration on Mount Tabor was a visible form of his perfect holiness, his pure love, and his humanity fully alive in and united to his divinity.

When we allow this holy light to expose the areas of our lives that are in sin, the darkness quickly dissipates. Why? Because darkness is much weaker than light. Sin — even our most stubborn sin — is much weaker than the Holy Spirit of Christ who lives within us.

Often, the reason we don’t face our sins and work to overcome them is due to ignorance about how much help God will give us. We want to be holy, but admitting our sins feels like a battle, a difficult struggle between our Christian calling to be like Jesus and the shameful tendencies of our flesh-nature. We’re not up to it; we think we don’t have the saintly strength needed to win this battle.

Wrong. Yes we do! This battle has already been won, more than 2000 years ago when Jesus rose from the dead and demolished the power of sin. As today’s first reading points out, the “Son of man” Jesus Christ has an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, and his kingship shall not be destroyed. His divine light that permeates our human souls will readily conquer the darkness and restore the kingdom of God within us.

Why? Because we do actually desire to listen to him, as the Father told us to do when he affirmed Christ’s lordship on Mount Tabor.

Transfiguration occurs again and again — within us today — every time we listen to Jesus and allow him to enlighten us.

What is the source of darkness in your life? Ask Jesus to penetrate it with his light of truth, which will set your soul free to be holy. Sometimes this means journeying deeper and deeper within to uncover the root cause of a sinful tendency. Layer by layer, Jesus will free you.

What is robbing you of peace? Ask Jesus to shine his holy light of love upon it, and accept his embrace. What makes you afraid to admit your sins and take them to the healing power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Let the light of Christ’s mercy transfigure you.

Your personal transfiguration is the releasing of your baptized nature, the divine presence of God within you. Remember, you were created in his image, and the Sacraments are God’s gift to restore you to the fullness of the life that he created you to live. Be true to yourself. Make yourself available to Christ’s transforming power.

For a distributable leaflet of this, please go to Catholic Digital Resources:
catholicdr.com/calendar/august/transfiguration/

Today’s Prayer:

Beloved Jesus: May the fire of my first encounter with You never be extinguished in me. Thank you because You surround my life with Your presence and You nurture me with the promise of rising, as You too arose. Amen.