The Transfiguration of our Lord
We, the Church, celebrate one of the Great Feastdays of the Lord on August 6th. It is an event found in three of the Gospels and occurring in the life of Christ: The Transfiguration of the Lord. About a week after Jesus plainly told His disciples that He would suffer, be killed, and be raised from the dead (Luke 9:22), He took the three Apostles closest to Him, Peter, James and John, up a mountain to pray. There "he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light." (Matthew 17:2)
According to the gospel accounts, Moses and Elijah appeared as Christ was transfigured and "spoke of His departure." The Fathers interpret this. These two represent the two principal components of the Old Testament, the Law and the Prophets, which are fulfilled in Christ.
Moses was the giver of the Law, and Elijah was considered the greatest of the prophets. The fact that these two figures "spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem" (Luke 9:31) illustrates that the Law and the Prophets point forward to the Messiah and his sufferings. The transfiguration of the person of Christ into glistening brightness points forward to the victory of His resurrection.
This is what he explained to Cleopas and the other Disciple on the road to Emmaus, that the scriptures point to Himself (cf. Lk. 24:27, 32). A celebration of the Transfiguration is a great event in which we, the Church, receive a foretaste of the resurrection--an explanation, if you will, of the resurrection to come. Come; join us for Divine Liturgy this Sunday (the forefeast) and on the Feastday Liturgy next Tuesday and experience the joy of the risen Christ!