Поучение на день Преображения Господня (Чему учит нас Преображение Христово?). Святого Тихона, Епископа Воронежского и Задонского

Our Savior, having told the Apostles that it was fitting for Him to suffer and die in Jerusalem for our salvation, some time before His suffering, took with Him three Apostles, Peter, James and John, and led them to a high mountain, where He was transfigured before them: and His face shone like the sun; His vestments were white as light; here two Prophets, Moses and Elijah, appeared to them in glory, talking with the Lord. Then a voice was heard from a bright cloud that overshadowed them: This is My beloved Son, in Him I am well pleased: Hear ye Him (Matthew 17:5). The apostles, hearing this voice, fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. By this saving action, the Lord showed the Apostles that He is the Father’s radiance, God and Lord, and the King of glory, although He was covered with the humble image of humanity; that although He appears in a visible image as a man like others, yet inside He is God. The apostles had previously seen His glory from miraculous works, but here they saw His glory with their own eyes, when His face appeared to them like the sun, and His garments like light, as they testify: and we saw His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14). Previously, the glory of Christ was shown by His works, which no one but God can do. But here His Divine glory appeared in a visible image, when His Divine face shone like the sun, and His vestments shone like light, as evidenced by the voice of the Father. By this action (Transfiguration) the Lord showed that He will willingly go to the suffering about which He predicted. He who knows that He is God, for whom all things are possible, can conveniently know that His suffering is voluntary. For who can convince God to suffer - God, who is above all, and to whose command everything obeys? His only love and mercy for us poor moved Him to do this. And thus he exhorted the Apostles so that they, having seen their Lord and Teacher suffering, would not be tempted, would not be afraid, and would not lag behind Him, knowing that He would suffer willingly, that He would not suffer. He could stop all the evil actions of His enemies, but He does not want to: He wants to suffer and endure, so that from this the lost person will receive salvation. The apostles saw in glory both the Savior and the prophets who appeared, partakers of that glory. From here we see that in eternal life the glory of the saints will be like the glory of Christ: they will be like Him and will see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). Here the face of Christ shone like the sun: then the righteous women will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43), who will transform the body of our humility, as if to be conformed to the body of His glory (Phil. 3:21). We also see what joy and sweetness there will be there. Peter, seeing the glory of God, felt such joy and sweetness in himself that he did not want to leave the mountain, but wanted to stay there: Peter answered and said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here. Only a certain part of the glory of God, and as much as they could see, they saw, but they came into such joy and sweetness: what joy and joy will there be where all the glory of God appears, where they see God, face to face! (1 Cor. 13:12)! But whoever wants to be a participant in this glory must here partake of the sorrow and reproach of Christ. Let us suffer with Him (Christ), that we may also be glorified with Him (Rom. 8:17). Through many tribulations it is fitting for us to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). You see that it is necessary to enter there not only through sorrows, but also through many sorrows. The voice of the Father: This is My beloved Son, in Him I am well pleased: Hear Him, concerns not only the Apostles, but also all of us. Then God spoke from the cloud to the Apostles, but through them this voice came to us; and God speaks to us: This is My beloved Son, in Him I am well pleased: Hear Him! How many times we read or hear His holy Gospel, so many times we hear the voice of the Son of God speaking to us, which teaches us nothing else but the path of salvation, which everyone who wants to receive it must go to the glory of God, on the holy mountain from the part shown. And whoever does not heed the word of God does not heed not man, but God Himself; and whoever does not listen to the word of God, and does not live according to the word of God, does not listen to God, who speaks through His word. On the contrary, a faithful heart both confesses God as its God and listens to everything that is revealed, forbidden and commanded in the Holy Scripture, and thus takes the Holy Scripture as a rule and strives to correct its life according to it. Let us listen to the Son of God, as the Heavenly Father exhorts us, and, leaving behind worldly desires, let us take up every cross that He imposes, and follow Him, so that He may lead us to His Heavenly Father. So let us flow and reach; let us suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him; Let us not be ashamed to bear His reproach, and He will not be ashamed of us when He comes in His glory. May the Lord remember us in His kingdom. Amen 163. See “Creations like the saints of our father Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh and Zadonsk.” Fifth edition. 1889. Moscow. Volume 5, countries. 136–137; Wed volume 3, p. 181. You might be interested in: