20260806 LOOKING TOWARDS THE GLORY OF GOD
First reading |
Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 |
His robe was white as snow
As I watched:
Thrones were set in place
and one of great age took his seat.
His robe was white as snow,
the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames,
its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out,
issuing from his presence.
A thousand thousand waited on him,
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A court was held
and the books were opened.
I gazed into the visions of the night.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,9 |
The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right.
The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
The mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
For you indeed are the Lord
most high above all the earth,
exalted far above all spirits.
The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
When a Feast of the Lord falls on a weekday, there is no reading after the Psalm and before the Gospel.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt17:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
This is my Son, the Beloved:
he enjoys my favour.
Listen to him.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 17:1-9 |
His face shone like the sun
Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone. There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.’ When they heard this the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them. ‘Stand up,’ he said ‘do not be afraid.’ And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but only Jesus.
As they came down from the mountain Jesus gave them this order, ‘Tell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.’
LOOKING TOWARDS THE GLORY OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [DN 7:9-10, 13-14; OR 2 PT 1:16-19; PS 96:1-2,5-6,9; MT 17:1-9]
In the Letter to the Romans, it is revealed that we are called to share in the glory of God. But because of sin, we have all fallen short of that glory (Rom 3:23). However, we are “now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24). Indeed, because of our share in the sin of Adam, we lost our innocence, our preternatural gifts of self-control, and a positive understanding of death as a transition to the fullness of life.
Jesus emptied Himself of His glory when He became man. As the Letter to the Philippians states, “though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness” (Phil 2:6-7). Hence, toward the end of His earthly life, the priestly prayer of Jesus was that He returns to share the glory of His Father: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed” (Jn 17:1, 4-5).
Preparing us to enter into His glory is the theme of today’s Scripture readings. The Book of Daniel recounts the Syrian persecution of the Jews, where evil empires under King Antiochus are portrayed as beasts tearing their prey to pieces. However, a noble human being appears — “coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man.” He enters the presence of Almighty God, and “on him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.” Historically, this text refers to the glorification of the persecuted Jews who were ultimately exalted.
In the New Testament, Jesus is that “Son of Man” foreshadowed by the prophet Daniel. Originally, the term was a symbol for Israel delivered from their enemies by God’s power and granted authority to rule over an everlasting kingdom. Over time, it came to refer to the Messiah Himself and the arrival of the Messianic Kingdom. Jesus was deeply influenced by this title in His interpretation of Scripture, often applying it to Himself in His parables regarding the Kingdom of God. In the mind of Christ and the early Church, this title took on a deeper meaning: Jesus, in His very person, is both the representative of a new humanity and the embodiment of the Kingdom. In Christ, therefore, we will be glorified with Him and in Him–He leads us on the path to glory.
This event confirms for us that Jesus is truly in the lineage of the prophet Moses foretold, that God would raise up another prophet like him. (Dt 18:15). Who could that prophet be if not Jesus? On the mountain, God Himself reiterated Moses’ command, saying, “Listen to him.” Like Moses, Jesus leads us on a new exodus out of the slavery of sin and into greater freedom. What Moses accomplished was spectacular, but it pales in comparison to what Jesus is doing for us: He leads us not merely to an earthly Promised Land, but into the Kingdom of God. This explains why Moses appeared alongside our Lord at the Transfiguration.
Flanking Jesus alongside Moses was Elijah. Elijah is remembered as the first and greatest of the prophets, while Moses is remembered as the Lawgiver; both were revered as speaking with the authentic voice of God. When these two figures appeared with Jesus, it signalled that the greatest representatives of the Law and the Prophets confirmed Jesus as God’s Chosen One–the One whom all of history had longed for. Their presence to support Jesus on His final journey established beyond doubt that God was bringing His plan of salvation to fruition, fulfilling His promises to David and Israel that the Davidic Kingdom would endure forever.
During the Transfiguration, God Himself confirmed this truth, declaring, “This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour.” Through this revelation, not only were we given assurance, but Jesus Himself was affirmed that He was walking the correct path by going to Jerusalem to suffer for the Kingdom–and that through the cross and His death, He would be glorified. Naturally, Jesus’ prophecy of His imminent passion and resurrection baffled the disciples, as they could not yet comprehend His words. Thus, after the Transfiguration, He instructed them, “Tell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” The apostles only fully understood the reality of this moment in hindsight, after His death and resurrection.
Recalling this experience years later, Peter wrote: “It was not any cleverly invented myths that we were repeating when we brought you the knowledge of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; we had seen his majesty for ourselves.” Peter made it clear that this was a real, historical event. There would be no reason for the evangelists to include it in the Gospels if it had not truly occurred, especially since it was not central to early Christian apologetics. What, then, did they witness? Peter explained: “He was honoured and glorified by God the Father, when the Sublime Glory itself spoke to him and said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour’. We heard this ourselves, spoken from heaven, when we were with him on the holy mountain.” Even though the Transfiguration narrative is absent from John’s Gospel, the underlying experience is clearly present when John writes, “we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14). Jesus is God, dwelling for all eternity in dazzling, unapproachable light. The true miracle of the Transfiguration is not merely His shining face or radiant white garments, but that throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus hid His glory so completely. The disciples came to understand this mystery only after the event of the Cross.
We must ask ourselves what this experience means for us today. The glory the disciples witnessed is the very glory we are promised in eternity. This glory that we will share with the Lord is foreshadowed in the Transfiguration. With this assurance, we can look forward to the blessed inheritance awaiting us in heaven when we achieve full union with Christ. We are certain of our destiny, as St. Paul writes: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself” (Phil 3:20-21).
However, this also requires us to listen to God’s voice in Jesus, who is the Word of God. As Peter reminds us, Jesus is the light shining in the darkness: “So we have confirmation of what was said in prophecies; and you will be right to depend on prophecy and take it as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds.” Jesus is the New Moses and the New Elijah who leads us to the New Jerusalem.
This calls for prayer–making time for God and ascending the mountain to hear His voice. It is on the mountain of God that He will reveal His glory to us, just as He did for Moses and Elijah. Unless we pay attention, we risk missing God’s glory and His movements in our lives. Spiritual lethargy and an unexamined life prevent us from seeing His glory hidden in the daily event of our lives. A life of ease and pleasure also hinders us from the necessity of growing in faith and generosity that comes through sacrifice–the essential demands of Christian discipleship.
Only through the eyes of faith can we perceive His glory: “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor 3:18). Truly, the Transfiguration removes the scandal of the Cross from our hearts, keeping it from unsettling our faith. When we are certain of the transformation awaiting us as a gift, we will not be afraid of suffering and death. As St. Paul wrote: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us” (Rom 8:18). He encourages us further: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory” (Col 3:2-4).
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
