August 6 is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, that surrealistic scene in the Gospels where Jesus takes three of the apostles up a mountain, radiates a dazzling glow, and interacts with Moses and Elijah.

It’s a mix of the extraordinary and the ordinary: Jesus shows a glimpse of his hidden divinity while engaging in what seems like a casual chat with two titans of the Old Testament.

Normally, of course, God acts in ways that don’t overwhelm us.

Rather than brilliant displays of force, such as parting the Red Sea, Our Lord prefers to work in understated, quiet ways.

Signs of his beneficence all around us: in the small favor done by a neighbor, in the medical test that signals a clean bill of health, in the news that a loved one returned to confession after 20 years.

This is the landscape of love that we can see with the eyes of faith.

Why do so many people miss it? In part, because they let the world wear them down with a constant barrage of bad news.

But if we can learn to focus on the many positive words of Jesus — think of “Take courage, I have conquered the world” (John 16:33) — we can see everyday life through a new lens.

That lens lets us focus on joy. And joy is one way we show that we believe that God is in charge and that he can bring good out of any situation.

To go deeper into the meaning of the Transfiguration, check out our Retreat Guide on that mountaintop incident with Jesus: Anchored in Light: A Retreat Guide on the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Even if we don’t experience him in dazzling ways, we can be sure of his loving hand in our lives by the little gifts he constantly sends our way.

In Christ,

Father Edward McIlmail, LC
Ask a Priest contributor