Veils off! Veils on! And other random delight in the Transfiguration

by Daria Sockey 

Transfiguration by Bloch (photo credit:Wikimedia Commons).

 

Part of this title seems like  a shameless ploy to get page view traffic, drawing in readers who are interested in the question of wearing mantillas at mass. Or the even hotter controversy in this wide world over the hijab. But what I'm actually thinking of is the liturgical readings  for tomorrow's feast of the Transfiguration-- one of my very favorite feasts.

In the first reading of the Office of Readings(2 Corinthians 3:7-4:6)--a very appropriate reading, since it speaks of  Moses, a supporting player in today's feast--St. Paul plays on the metaphor of the veil. The Veil that hid the reflected glory of God on the face of Moses, the veil  of misunderstanding that keeps the Jews from seeing Scripture fulfilled in Christ, and the veil that the "god of this present age" puts between unbelievers and the truth. And finally, the joy of that veil's removal, so that we may now see "the glory of God shining on the face of Jesus Christ.

The second reading, from the fairly obscure Anastasius of Sinai, has answered a question that I had for years. You know when Jesus said in Matt 16:28, "Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom" ?  I always wondered what He meant there. After all, the apostles died before the second coming.  I supposed that Jesus must have been referring to St. John, who certainly saw the triumphant Kingdom in his visions on Patmos. I never noticed what Anastasius noticed: that this prediction is followed up in the very next sentence  with its fulfillment: six days later, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John...  the Transfiguration  the event in which three apostles saw the glory of the kingdom before they tasted death!

Of course, Anastasius was not hindered by the chapter divisions in the gospels that tend to keep  us from connecting these types of dots.

Okay. Here's one more thing I always think about and laugh about (it's a feast day--we should find things to laugh about!).  How did the apostles recognize Moses and Elijah? We're told that the Jews eschewed most  representational art out of concern for avoiding the temptation to idol worship. So how did they know who was speaking with Jesus on Mt. Tabor? Was Moses carrying his signature tablets of the law? Did Elijah arrive in his chariot, or perhaps have that helpful raven on his shoulder? The gospels don't tell us. Inquiring minds want to know!

There is so much in the Transfiguration account: the voice of the Father, the sweet and gentle, “rise and do not be afraid” from Jesus, and the interesting connection between Elijah and John the Baptist. It's no wonder the Church has us mark this event twice a year-once on a Sunday in Lent and once as a feast.

Pay attention at Evening Prayer (vespers) today. The New Testament canticle is one we only get today and on the feast of the Epiphany.  It's an adaptation of 1 Timothy, 3:16, with a repeated response worked in. For those of you who don't pray the Liturgy of the Hours, here it is:

Praise the Lord, all you nations.
Christ manifested in the flesh,
Christ justified in the Spirit.

Christ contemplated by the angels,
Christ, proclaimed to the pagans.

Christ who is believed in the world,
Christ exalted in glory. Praise the Lord, all you nations.

Knowing that this passage is only used for these two feasts out of the entire year makes for a great little meditation on  how those two are connected.

Daria blogs at   Coffee and Canticles.