Sermon – The Feast of the Holy Transfiguration
Pastor’s Sermon
The Feast of the Holy Transfiguration
By V. Rev. Timothy Baclig
August 6, 2023
In a reflection on The Feast of the Transfiguration by Metropolitan SABA* he states: The transfiguration [of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the God-man, revealed] man’s natural state. “It is the beauty of humanity restored, the beauty of original, undistorted creation.” He goes on to say, “[Several] saints knew this beauty, this glory, and experienced it here on earth. The Prophet Moses knew it when his face shined and the Hebrews were not able to look upon him. Many enlightened persons also knew it; those who in the purity of their life and their struggle were liberated from the corruption of their fallen nature and became temples for the indwelling of God; one of which was Saint Seraphim of Sarov along with many others.” In quoting the Apostle Paul’s epistle to the Colossians (1:12), Sayidna SABA states: “The glory that God has promised us is to “partake in the inheritance of the saints”. It is the glory of holiness, which God has made possible for us through the cross;” as we sing in the memorial hymn, “…the spirits of the righteous made perfect.”
In our life, you and I must be prepared to grow physically, intellectually, and spiritually. This means that we grow through many changes. Some come with age, others with life events that may include a crisis or tragedy; all that contribute to a life of transformation that can be a life of spiritual purification and sanctification. Growing spiritually, however, is unlike our physical and intellectual maturity. It is not something easily perceived, largely because it is not always readily seen or easily understood. The spiritual growth and transformation that we as Christians are called to experience begins with repentance, and true repentance can only be born in humility.
What we see depicted in the icon of the Feast might be viewed as a “mountain top experience,” however, important in what we see as we gaze at the icon of our Lord transfigured, is that we see Him standing with two feet on the ground. This vision reinforces the truth that spiritual growth is a transformation amidst our human experiences, just as our God who in becoming a Man took all human suffering, including death on a Cross. I remember when I was zealous young man being cautioned not to be “so heavenly minded that I would be no earthly good.” It is a temptation of “high mindedness” that lacks in bearing evidence of godly works or deeds. It is what St. Paul calls being “puffed up” with knowledge. Another temptation is a sentimentality stirs our emotions but can disable our ability to act upon doing what is right. It is one of the reasons why the Fathers of the Church caution us about trusting our emotions.
St. Gregory Nyssa speaks of two kinds of change in our human experience: First: an anxiety that is associated with a purely negative concept of change; a change that can only be for evil. (often an “easy route” and without much thought or struggle and can lead to listlessness; inaction and laziness). Second: a higher type of motion; what St. Gregory calls a “good change,” a “change for the better.” (This type of change, however, requires a resolve and personal effort.) It is this sort of movement that is described by St. Paul (II Corinthians 3:18) when he spoke of our being transformed from glory to glory. It is a perpetual growth in good.
In a translation of St. Gregory’s work [From Glory to Glory; SVS Press, p. 51], St. Gregory helps us to gain the right perspective of our goal and the path towards that goal. He states: …man does not merely have an inclination to evil; if this were so, it would be impossible for him to grow in goodness. Man’s nature is not possessed with being inclined towards what is evil. In truth the finest aspect of our ability to change is the possibility of growth in what is good; and this capacity to improve transforms the soul, as it changes, more and more into the divine likeness (theosis). And so, what appears so terrifying can actually become a wing in our ascent towards higher things.
St. Gregory goes on to say… “It would be truly a difficulty if we were not capable or susceptible of the kind of change which is towards what is better… [So therefore] let us change in such a way that we may constantly evolve towards what is better (what is good), being transformed from glory to glory, and thus always improving and ever becoming more perfect by daily growth, and never arriving at any limit of perfection. For that perfection consists in our never stopping in our growth in good, never circumscribing our perfection by any limitation.
From a very human perspective you and I often wrestle with learning how “to let go” in overcoming our personal struggle. Letting go can be difficult in many of our experiences: such as, the death of a loved one, our role as parents; then there are those things that can be very deceptive. They may include holding on to temporal or physical things, or even our fear of aging. Becoming complacent is easy when we are comfortable with the status quo. Very often our fear of change is what results in our failure to make decisions or to do what is better for us.
Every Sacrament should be understood as an initiative: Holy Baptism (also called: “The Sacrament of Initiation”), Holy Chrismation, Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders (ordination), Confession, Unction (Healing); they all lead us to, or are tied to: the Sacrament of Sacraments (the Holy Eucharist) – our receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. Our participation in each of the Sacraments is an opportunity for a new beginning to grow in our life of the Spirit. They each provide a new start in the process of renewal, sanctification, purification, forgiveness and healing. They complete what we lack. They are our means of salvation. However as a means of salvation, they all begin with our personal initiative of humility and repentance for that process to begin. And a process of change that never ends!
In other words, when we hear our Lord’s command (Matthew 5:48): “Be ye perfect…,” we should understand that being made perfect is progress itself: the perfect man is the one who continually makes progress. And with God, our salvation, or deification is: to be made perfect from our inheritance of being born into a fallen condition. It also means that this kind of growth in change is without limit and a “permanent focus upon what is good becomes, paradoxically, the principle of authentic change. St. Gregory says: “…a man advances farther on the path of perfection precisely insofar as he remains fixed and immovable in [what is] good…”
Therefore, in summary, our goal and aim in working out our salvation is a life that is transfigured; meaning a life of growth in God – transformed from a sinful condition of this fallen world. It is not a life that is in denial of the truth, escapes or runs from the reality of this world, but a life that is transformed from our fallen condition; and something that can only happen by God’s mercy and grace as we turn and trust in Him. It is not a life that is overcome by weakness, but it is through weakness, with perseverance and repentance you and I can be made a stronger person by God’s grace and mercy. The Apostle Paul described it in this way: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (II Corinthians 12:30b). In his own comments about his personal struggle with sin, he states: “But [the Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’” (II Corinthians 12: 9a).
In the book of The Revelation of John we hear these words from the throne of God: And behold, I make all things new! (Rev. 21:5a). Notice: He does not say, “…I make all new things.” No. His words are: “…behold, I make all things new!” This is the triumph and victory that we all have in Christ who came to save us and who Himself overcame the world. It is our triumph and victory as we take up our own cross and follow Him. In the morning hymns of today’s Feast theme of the Cross has already begun being heard in the chanting of the Canon of the Holy Cross in Orthros. In forty days the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross will be a reminder us that as it was for Christ, the Cross is for you and me the emblem of glory, a transfiguration and a trophy invincible. It is called a weapon of peace and a means of reconciliation. We are able to see Christ, who is today shown to be in company with the Moses and Elias; recognizing how their lives were transfigured, an experience that is also ours if we make it our own by His saving grace and mercy.
*the full text of Metropolitan SABA’s Meditation on the Feast of the Transfiguration (in English and Arabic) go to: