6 August 2020
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Today’s feast celebrates Jesus’ transfiguration. Jesus’ divine nature – always present but hidden by his humanity – is suddenly revealed to his Apostles, as his divinity shone forth in awesome and fear inducing radiance. This feast is so rich in symbolism, but I’d like to focus today’s reflection upon the Eucharist and upon the Communion of Saints.
On October 10th 2020, the Church will have another blessed. His name is Carlos Acutis. This young boy died at the age of 15, but sainthood is not determined by years lived, but by the depth that one is transfigured by the love of God. Yes, our path to sainthood is a path to transfiguration as we become more and more like Christ. God’s life poured into our souls is bringing about a radical transfiguration of us, and one of the primary ways this is happening is through our drawing close to Christ in the Eucharist. Carlo Acutis allowed God’s grace to transfigure him in 15 short years as he was drawn ever deeper into the love of God in the Eucharist.
One of the ways that Carlo responded to God’s love in his life was by using his gifts as a programmer to design a website that cataloged Eucharistic Miracles around the world in order to spur love of Christ in the Eucharist. A way of thinking about a Eucharistic miracle is along the lines of the Transfiguration. When such a miracle happens, God lifts the veil for a moment around what the Eucharist actually is every day but in a hidden way. So too, at Jesus’ Transfiguration, the veil of his humanity was lifted for a moment to reveal Jesus’ divinity. Why was this done? One reason was to strengthen the faith of the disciples in his authority, identity, and mission. So too, Eucharistic miracles can offer us an opportunity to strengthen our devotion and belief in the Eucharist as Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
The Eucharist – as Jesus himself – is a primary way that God begins to transfigure us after his own image. Let us pray that today’s feast might deepen our love and devotion to the Eucharist, and that Carlo’s short life lived transfigured to Christ in the Eucharist can remind us that God desires to transform us through our devotion to and reception of the Eucharist. http://www.miracolieucaristici.org/en/Liste/list.html