Transfigured in His Light

And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light. —Matthew 17:2

Three years ago, on the Feast of the Holy Transfiguration, I walked into Holy Apostles for the very first time. I didn't know then how much I needed this parish, or how much I needed Christ to meet me in a way I could not ignore. I only knew I was scared. Scared of what? Scared of being disappointed again, scared of hoping, scared of wanting God and not knowing if He wanted me.

The Feast of the Transfiguration is the moment in the Gospels when Christ reveals His glory openly. On Mount Tabor, His face shines like the sun and His garments become white as light. Moses and Elijah appear beside Him, and the disciples fall to the ground in awe. It is the moment when heaven breaks through the ordinary world, and Christ shows us who He truly is. Not only is He the Teacher walking dusty roads, but the Lord of Glory who transforms everything He touches.

That day, three years ago, I experienced my own small Tabor.

While the choir was singing Fr. John's composition of the Trisagion hymn, a hymn that sounded so familiar, I saw Christ come forth from the choir, surrounded by white. A white so bright I could barely see Him. He floated toward the back corner where I was sitting and embraced me. It all happened so fast I didn't understand what happened. Maybe I just desperately needed to feel something real, maybe my heart needed to feel seen, held, and reassured. I was overwhelmed; tears came instantly. It was not fear. It was recognition. It was love. It was Christ knowing me better than I knew myself.

I've wondered many times: was that moment real? Did it truly happen the way I remember it? And if it hadn't, would I have come back? Would I be where I am today? I'll never know the answer to those questions. But Christ knows. He knew my heart. He knew my fear. He knew exactly what I needed that day. The truth is, I did need that moment, even if it's just a memory of sorts, desperately. I was transfigured by it. Nothing had ever felt as right or as true as what I felt that day, when I made the choice to come back to the Church and to be with Christ.

The Transfiguration teaches us that Christ is always revealing Himself. Sometimes it is in quiet ways, sometimes it is in ways that stop us in our tracks. It teaches us that His light is not only for the Apostles on the mountain, but for each of us who come searching with even a small, trembling hope.

Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Shoreline, WA has been my Mount Tabor. It is OUR Mount Tabor. A place where Christ meets us in our searching. A place where His light softens our wounds. A place where we are changed, sometimes slowly, sometimes all at once.

As we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration, may His light transfigure each of us, revealing who we truly are in Him, and who we are becoming together.

With Love in Christ,

Maria

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 Originally published in the Holy Apostles E-bulletin. Subscribe here.