He took His three foremost disciples and ascended Mount Tabor, where He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as the light. —Matthew 17:2
The Transfiguration of Christ is one of the most beautiful and radiant feast days in the Church. We are able to experience it today because the disciples witnessed it firsthand. Their humanity was evident as they fell to their faces in awe, but there is also something strangely comforting about that. Christ saw them and reassured them, "Don't be afraid." Then He asked them to keep this revelation quiet until after the Resurrection. Can you imagine carrying something that monumental, knowing all that was coming and just waiting?
I don't remember paying a lot of attention to this particular feast day in the past. It became deeply meaningful for me when I realized the day that I returned to church was the Feast day of the Transfiguration. Looking back, I see how God was so patient with me and had gently been nudging me even before I knew it. When I searched for Greek Orthodox churches in Seattle after moving here, I was instantly drawn to Holy Apostles Church in Shoreline, WA. I felt a connection that I didn't really even understand. That day, I truly felt like I experienced the Transfiguration.
Spiritual truth isn't always easy to grasp. It's not always crystal clear. These stories and moments that have been passed down to us—like saints appearing, or Elijah and Moses standing beside Christ—can feel confusing and surreal. It's easy to question whether you're "seeing" what is really there. But somehow, it's in those moments of questioning, of bouncing between doubt and belief, that transformation can happen.
That Sunday, I wanted to hold on to the experience and make it permanent. What I've come to understand is that the light of Christ revealed in the Transfiguration isn't limited to one mountaintop moment. That light continues to show up, quietly and beautifully, in everyday people and holy moments—if we are willing to take the time to see it.
Feast days like the Transfiguration aren't just commemorations of something that happened long ago. They're invitations and ways of learning how to see Christ in others. Maybe, if we slow down long enough, we'll see hints of that transformation happening in ourselves too.
With love in Christ,
Maria
Originally published in the Holy Apostles E-bulletin. Subscribe here.
