Parish Newsletter - Week 2, 2026

Today the Gospel reading talks of the Transfiguration of Jesus into his divine, majestic person. We are told that, "His face shone like the Sun and his garments became white as light." This transformation is referred to as theophany, which means divine revelation. As we look up to the beautiful fresco adorning the ceiling of the Sanctuary, we have a depiction of the transformed Christ. Alongside him are Moses and Elijah.

Their presence underscores our understanding that Jesus is the culmination of Old Testament prophecy and the Law.

Those are the words. The theological explanation. But it is much more than that. The Transfiguration is a preview of the glory of the risen Christ. This is important for us to understand. We are not looking at the Jesus of the Gospels, come to us in human form. We are looking at the manifestation of the full glory of Jesus. Christ transfigured is the perfect, physical manifestation of God's divine nature, splendour and power. In the Gospels these elements are shown to us in many ways: through the miraculous incarnation of Jesus; the various miracles that Christ performed during his ministry on earth, and to us in the image in our Sacristy in the Transfiguration. These are clear demonstrations of his divine authority over nature, sickness and death.

Jesus' divine nature is a pillar of Catholic belief.

He is of the same substance (consubstantial) as the Father; He is therefore fully God. He is the Word of God, existing before creation. He is the second person of the Holy Trinity, co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. When he was with us on earth, Jesus sometimes restricted the use of his divine power, but He never lost his divine nature, allowing Him to experience human limitations while remaining God. In this regard, He is transcendent; the degree of his majesty unfathomable. Jesus' nature remains a profound mystery, and we reach out to Him through faith and love. And the wonder of it all is that He reaches back with profound mercy and love.