Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Mass Celebrated by Archbishop Denis Hart
for the clergy gathering
at Bayview Centre, Clayton
on 6th August, 2003, at 5.30pm

Introduction

My dear Brother Priests,

Truly today we can say with Peter, “Lord, it is wonderful for us to be here.”

I rejoice in the great gift of priesthood in the Church and particularly at this moment in Melbourne. We are united with Father Tony Philpott, who brings his own profound experience of priests and priesthood to nourish us. I thank God that we have come this week to spend time with the Lord and with each other in acknowledging that the priesthood is a mystery of human gift and divine blessing.

As we call to mind our sins, let us ask the Lord that we will walk always with him. Our words being his, our vision his, our hope the reality which he enjoys.

Homily

My dear brothers in the priesthood,

Jesus’ transfiguration not only gave his disciples a wonderful glimpse of his glory. It reminds us of the transformation that we will experience at the resurrection on the Last Day. Like Jesus on Mount Tabor our bodies will be transfigured and glorified. We will live forever with the Lord in an embrace so close that his divine nature will transform every part of who we are.

On transfiguration day Peter, James and John saw God’s purposes for them. Everything pointed to the glory of God and was destined to be shared with his people, with all who placed their faith in Jesus and listened to him. Our whole lives, like Peter, James and John, are a common pilgrimage with our people.

Indeed, a very happy description of the life of a diocesan priest is of a marriage between priest and people. Many priests have spoken to me of how they feel out of place when they are taken away by sickness or circumstances from normal parochial life. I too, as a bishop and as a parish priest not so long ago, can resonate with this.

The Transfiguration leads us to see the transcendental dimension of the priesthood we exercise. We are called beyond what we can imagine by faith, strengthened by him who is our all, to be given for people as he was.

The challenge is expressed by Saint Augustine of Hippo, who said, “Come down, Peter. You were eager to go on resting on the mountain; come down, preach the Word, press on in season, out of season, censure, exhort, rebuke in all long-suffering and teaching. Toil away, sweat it out, suffer some tortures, so that by means of the brightness and beauty of right and good activity you may come to possess in charity what is to be understood by the Lord’s white garments.”

Peter did not understand this yet, when he was eager to live with Christ on the mountain. He was keeping that for you, Peter, after death. But now he himself says to you, “Go down to labour on earth, to serve on earth, to be despised, crucified on earth. Life came down to be killed. Bread came down to go hungry. The way came down to grow weary on a journey. The fountain came down to experience thirst. Have charity and love, preach the truth; then you will arrive at eternity where you will find security.”

You and I are caught up in a mystery that goes beyond our own inadequacies. Today’s feast challenges us to trust the mystery, the power of the one who sustains us, to bring hope to the world. Like Father Tony Philpott at the end of his book, ‘The Transfiguration’, calls each of us to apply these words of Gerard Manly Hopkins to ourselves:

“In a flash, at a trumpet crash,
I am all at once what Christ is,
since he is what I am and
This Jack, joke, poor potsherd, patch, matchwood,
immortal diamond
is immortal diamond.”

+ Denis J. Hart,
Archbishop of Melbourne.