Transfigured by Jesus’ beauty

you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light – for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true, and try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Eph 5, 8-11).

Christ’s light is kind, tender hearted and forgiving. The same letter to the Ephesians says: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you…Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Eph 4, 30-32; 5, 1-2).

Does our society and the Church herself need Christ’s light? By reading carefully our bishops’ reflection one certainly arrives at the conclusion that yes, both our society and the Church are in dire need of Christ’s light. Take, for instance, the Church herself. Thus, wrote the bishops: “This Easter, especially during the beautiful liturgy of the Holy Vigil, the light of Christ that will originate from the Paschal candle will be passed on from one candle to the next. This little candle will remind us of this call to be children of light”.

And what happens when we, as Church, are lit by Christ’s light? We start sharing it wherever the Holy Spirit leads us. “Our flame might be small, but it can give solace and respite in every environment where darkness reigns, where there is despair, where there is sadness. As we meditate on the beauty of Jesus on Mount Tabor, our message must fill each and everyone one of us with great courage, with renewed hope. This is what makes us disciples of the Lord. Indeed, Pope Francis writes in The Joy of the Gospel, ‘Being a disciple means being constantly ready to bring the love of Jesus to others, and this can happen unexpectedly and in any place: on the street, in a city square, during work, on a journey’ (127).”

While celebrating our Mediterranean cultural heritage thanks to the promotion of Valletta as a European Capital of Culture, let us, as our bishops exhort us, “discern in the light of the Transfiguration, the call we have received to cherish beauty and goodness in our lives”. Let us allow Christ’s beauty and goodness to transfigure us to the point where we become not only its recipients but also its promoters by the way we behave with others.