On August 6 the Church celebrates not a saint but a feast of the Lord: the Transfiguration, when Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain and was transfigured before them, his face shining like the sun and his clothes becoming dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appeared conversing with him, and the Father's voice declared, 'This is my beloved Son; listen to him.' The feast has been kept in the East since ancient times and was extended to the whole Western Church in 1457.
The Transfiguration is a glimpse of glory given before the Cross — a promise that suffering is not the end of the story, and that the ones we love are destined for light. It teaches us to listen to Jesus in the dark valleys, holding onto the brightness we have been shown on the mountain.
Lord Jesus, transfigured in glory, let the light of your face shine on all we love and all we grieve, and bring us with them to the mountain where you reign forever. Amen.