Homily on the Holy Transfiguration of Christ our God, pronounced on the Holy Mountain on the day of the holiday

In the sermon of Rev. Anastasia Sinaita “The Homily on the Holy Transfiguration of Christ our God, pronounced on the Holy Mountain on the day of the holiday” offers a theological interpretation of the event of the Transfiguration of the Lord for the salvation of man. St. Anastasius describes in detail the events that took place on Mount Tabor: the ascension of Christ with his disciples, the appearance of the Divine Light, the conversation with the prophets Moses and Elijah, the voice of God the Father testifying about the Son. He emphasizes the supernatural nature of the event and its importance in strengthening the faith of the apostles. The sermon reveals the events of the Transfiguration as a revelation of the Divine nature of Christ, confirmation of His messiahship and the anticipation of His future glory in the Second Coming. It is seen as a prototype of the transformation of man, the purification of his nature and communion with Divine grace. The appearance of the prophets Moses and Elijah emphasizes the unity of the Old and New Testaments and testifies that Christ is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. St. Anastasius Sinaite calls on listeners to spiritual transformation, imitation of Christ in virtues and the desire for holiness. The sermon is inextricably linked with eschatology: the Transfiguration of the Lord anticipates the coming transformation of the whole world and the resurrection of the dead, when the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of Heaven. “How terrible is this place” (see Gen. 28:17), I, too, will exclaim, marveling with Patriarch Jacob, on the occasion of the holiday on this mountain. For I see, like him, a ladder that seems to reach from earth to heaven, and God Himself in the church, standing at the very top of the ladder on the mountain. Therefore, overcome by horror from such a vision, I say: “How terrible is this place: this is nothing other than the house of God and the door of heaven” (see Gen. 28:17). This is the “door” from which the Father from above testified, the “door” from which the Sun of righteousness Christ shone; This mountain in which the Stone cut off from the mountain appeared, the mountain through which the angels sing, the mountain through which the prophets speak, the mountain which the hymnist proclaims, the mountain that enlightened the fishermen, the mountain that made the unlearned wise, David calls for it, saying: “Christ will bring them into this holy mountain, the mountain to the south of which His right hand has acquired” (Ps. 77:54), - a fruitful mountain, “a fat mountain, a mountain in which God is pleased to know and “live in it” (Ps 67:16-17). For the sake of this mountain the mountains jump, for the sake of this mountain the hills rejoice, because of this the gorges are covered, for this the valleys blossom, the streams adorn it, the rivers applaud it, the seas pay homage to it, the clouds resound with it, the birds chirp to it, this mountain is the region of mystery, this place of the ineffable, this rock is the rock of the hidden, this peak is the peak of heaven. Here the symbols of the Kingdom are prefigured, here the mystery of the Crucifixion is foretold, here the beauty of the Kingdom was revealed, here the second most glorious coming of Christ was revealed, this mountain was overshadowed with the radiance of the righteous, future blessings are depicted on it, as if present. This mountain announced through the cloud that appeared on it the future rapture of the righteous upon the clouds. This mountain has now shown our most authentic image and our conformity to Christ. Now the image of earthy has been transformed into the image of heavenly kindness and moved to Mount Tabor. Therefore, I will rightly say again: “How terrible this place is: this is nothing other than the house of God and the door of heaven.” For today Tabor and Hermon cried out in agreement and called the whole world to rejoice. The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali celebrated in agreement and formed a round dance for the entire sunflower. Galilee and Nazareth are circling in a circle today and a celebration has been raised for all countries. Mount Tabor rejoices at the holiday and draws the recreated creature towards God with it: for now, truly, the Lord is seen on the mountain, now the once god-like nature of Adam, darkened by the ugly idol image, has been transformed and transformed [everything] into its ancient goodness in the image and likeness. Now the wandering and idolatrous nature of the mountains, without undergoing any change, was revealed on the mountain like precious metal and emitted the sparkling brilliance of the Divine. Now on the mountain, the one who was covered with dark and cold leather clothes put on a God-made robe, dressing himself “in light like a robe” (Ps 103:2). Now on Mount Tabor the joy and arrangement of the future residence and Kingdom have been revealed in secret. Today, the ancient heralds of the Old and New Testaments, who were the recipients of the glorious sacraments, gloriously converged on the mountain. Today, on Mount Tabor, the life-giving sacrament of the Cross was inscribed with death: just as He was crucified on the place of execution in the midst of two people, so magnificently He stands in the midst of Moses and Elijah, and shows the real holiday, another Sinai, a mountain much more honorable than that Sinai in miracles and deeds, imitative Epiphanies, prevailing over figurative and hay visions of God. As much as the images were pre-depicted there, here is the truth: there is darkness, here is the Sun; there is darkness, here there is a cloud of light; there is a ten-word law, here is the eternal Word, surpassing all words; there are carnal fortune-telling, here – Divine things; There the tablets were inscribed on the mountain because of wickedness, here hearts are made wise for salvation. Then water flowed from the stone of unbelief, but now the Source of life and immortality appeared; there the rod grew cold, here the Cross flourished; there a quail was sent as punishment, here a dove from above for salvation; there Mariam chanted and played tympani in Hebrew, here Mary sovereignly gave birth to God; there Moses untied the shoes of his feet, foretelling the cessation of legal ministry; here John does not untie the indissoluble shoes of Jesus, clearly affirming the unity of God the Word with our mortal and leathery nature; there Elijah hides from the face of Jezebel, here Elijah contemplates God face to face. Mount Sinai did not reveal the Promised Land to Moses, but Mount Tabor led Moses into the Promised Land, since the reconciliation and forgiveness of sins through Jesus attracted God to human nature. Desiring to reveal this nature purified from the serpent’s poison poured onto it, the co-originating Word of God the Father shows His disciples the sacrament on Mount Tabor. For, having brought them to the middle [of His path], He announced to them about the Kingdom and about His glorious Second Coming - and since they, being imperfect in relation to what had previously been said to them about the Kingdom, were undoubtedly inclined to empty talk in accordance with their then state of mind - wanting them to believe the future from the present, as if in some image He had gloriously made the Epiphany on Mount Tabor a proclamation Kingdom of Heaven, as if telling them: lest the temporary rupture produce unbelief in you, “Truly I say to you, there are some standing here” and listening, “who will not taste death until they have seen” “the Son of Man coming” in the glory of His Father (Matthew 16:28, cf. Mark 9:1, Luke 9:27). And showing the coincidence of will and action, the Evangelist says that “after six days, Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain alone, and was transfigured before them: and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white like light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him” (Matthew 17:1-3). Such are the Divine signs of the present holiday, such is the salvation and sacrament now being accomplished for us on the mountain - this is Christ’s celebration and triumph that has gathered us. And in order for us to find ourselves inside these ineffable and inaccessible mysteries, together with the pre-chosen theologians who have received God, let us listen to a certain Divine and most sacred voice, as if from above from the top of a mountain, exhorting us and saying: “Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord” on the day of the Lord, to the place of the Lord and “to the house of our God” (Isaiah 2:3), so that from His vision and illumination having been illuminated and changed and moved to the best, having perceived the light with light, exclaim, saying: “How terrible is this place:” “this is nothing other than the house of God and the “door of heaven” itself (see Gen. 28:17). This Door to which we should hasten, I dare say, is Jesus, the Guide, who precedes us and leads us to Himself and to heaven. Together with Him, may we shine with intelligent eyes, renewing and restoring our natural traits, perceiving His image, always becoming deified and changing for the better. In the struggle of reaching the ascents, we will run up the mountain and with the purity of a dove, together with Peter, James and John, we will ascend to the top, with Moses and Elijah on the clouds we will be transported through the air, so that the Master may also say about us: “there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming” to them with the glory of His Father (Matthew 16:28 , cf. Mark 9:1, Luke 9:27). Therefore, bold and shining, let us run and enter into the cloud, becoming one Moses, another Elijah, another Jacob, another John. Be transported, like Peter, to Divine contemplation and vision, be changed by a good change, leave the world, depart from the earth, leave the flesh, leave the creature and go to the Creator, to whom Peter cried out in admiration: “Lord! It is good for us to be here” (Matthew 17:4). Truly, Peter, it is good for us to be here with Jesus and to remain and to abide forever. What could be more blessed, higher or more honorable than to be with God and to be like God in appearance and to abide in the light? So, let each of us who has acquired God in the heart and rejoices, having transformed himself into this Divine image, say: “It is good for us to be here,” where everything shines, where there is joy, joy and pleasure, where everything is peaceful, quiet and serene in the heart, where God appears. In such a heart He makes his abode with the Father; having come to such a heart, He says: “Now is the salvation of this house” (see. Luke 19:9), into such a heart all the treasures of eternal blessings with Christ come and are preserved; in it are outlined, as in a mirror, the beginnings and images of future centuries. Having tasted all this, Peter leaped in soul, rejoiced and completely abandoned everything worldly, for he felt in himself a certain Divine radiance and extraordinary action, felt an unheard-of and unusual joy and Divine leap. He saw, as far as he could see, better than usual natures, images and incorporeal species; I saw beauty sparkling with the glory of incorruptibility, impassivity and immortality; saw the divine solar brilliance of the future rebirth. It is unclear, as if in what dream, he saw all the kingdoms and residences there, incredible beauties and heritages, glory, repose, merging, rejoicing, embraces, sparkling, joy, future and enduring gifts, endless pleasures, drunkenness without wine, immortal lives, mental sounds, mysterious celebrations, divine celebrations, round dance joy in the land of the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, Peter, as having the keys of this Kingdom, opened it and entered its Divine gates, and when he was enlightened and his intelligent eyes were opened, he saw, as far as one can see, the heavenly monasteries and tabernacles, he saw the carefree palaces, unseen by Christ, the Blessed Bridegroom, he saw the thrones of invisible glory, he saw crowns woven from incorruptibility, he saw radiant springs, he saw imperishable pleasures. And, as if having touched and tasted with some finger, the Supreme [Apostle] completely passed over with his soul to the one who was there, completely changed in heart, completely left himself, completely moved to God, was completely not in himself, completely exhausted in intoxication, was completely enveloped in glory. In amazement and ecstasy, struck by the truth, forgetting the whole world and everything in the world, he calls out to the Lord with that blessed and all-praising voice, saying: “Lord, it is good for us to be here, not knowing,” it is said, “what he says” (cf. Luke 9:33). Peter, the stone of faith, calls out to Christ the Stone on the mountain stone. With these leaders of the New Testament was Moses, the leader of the Law. This Divine secret of sacraments was transferred along with Elijah the Thesbite from Sinai to Tabor, as if from strength to strength. For Moses finally entered the promised land, as if called from some border. The recipient of the law brought the tablets of the law to His and our Master on Mount Tabor, and the slave remained next to the Master in a frenzy, because he saw Divine power in human form. That’s why he went into a frenzy because he saw the images of the long-prefigured Christ come true in their true form. He remained as if floating in the air, already tasting what had been sought since ancient times, and remained standing at the right hand of the Most High, lightly touching the edge of the earth. As if in ancient times, in numbness and horror, he contemplated the coming of the Lord in the bush, seeing the bush again engulfed in fire - animate flesh. Therefore, being on Tabor, he no longer says: “When I have passed, I will see this great vision” (Exodus 3:3, according to LXX), - having passed through life in the flesh, having passed through the time of the law, passing through images, passing through shadows, passing through the letter, leaving Egypt, passing through the Red Sea, crossing over the darkness, leaving Horeb, passing through the rock, passing through the desert, passing through Amalek, passing through the ark, leaving the tabernacle, leaving the circumcision, passing over the Jordan, passing through Ebal, passing over Jericho, leaving the church, leaving the sacrifices, leaving the blood, passing through everything pertaining to this life, passing through the cherubim, passing through the first veil, passing through the second veil of the law and the prophets, and the veil. Now I have seen You, the truly Existing and Ever-Bearing One, existing with the Father, who spoke on the mountain: “I am Who I Am” (Exodus 3:14), “I saw this great vision” - You, who of old appeared to me mysteriously and magnificently as God. I no longer cover my face, but face to face [I see You] and my soul is saved; I saw You, whom I longed to see of old, saying: “Let me see You with understanding” (Exodus 33:13, according to LXX), for Your appearing is eternal life. I no longer saw Your back, as on the Sinai rock, but clearly appearing to me on the Tabor rock, not hiding in the cleft of the rock as a person, but in my image hiding Himself, the Lover of God. Your right hand no longer covers me with darkness, for You are the right hand of the Most High, revealed to the world. You are the Intercessor of the old and the new, the Old God and the New Man. You, who anciently appeared in secret on Mount Sinai, have now been clearly transformed on Mount Tabor. For You, as the Heavenly and Most High, love to “enlighten” us “from the eternal mountains” (Ps 75:5, according to LXX) - both from the holy and heavenly powers, and from the prophetic and apostolic mountains and from God’s churches, the “foundations” of which are “on the mountains of your saints” (Ps 86:2), from which, having learned and having undergone the services of the law, now I have seen You, “This great vision.” For You are the One who was prefigured at Sinai and now at Tabor as the Son you receive testimony and preaching from God [the Father]. You are the One who of old ascended into the bush and plunged the power of Pharaoh into the abyss. You are the One who with a word pacified the sea, blackened by flowing waters, and tamed the sea of ​​the world with the blood of idols. You transformed the nature of a soulless rod into a crawling serpent and destroyed magical false deeds with it, and then, during the waterless journey of the people, you bestowed coolness with this rod. You turned a dry stone into a watery nature, like water into a dry area. You form and transform our unseemly ugliness with Your constant transformation for the better. Therefore, You came from above into this life in order to humanize human nature, dehumanized by sin, and to erect the body of fallen Adam. You are the renewed true building of the tabernacle through incorruptibility and immortality for all people. You, the true Church, Son and God of David, [father] Solomon, built and erected the Church in the highest and Heavenly Jerusalem. You are the Father’s true propitiation for worldly sins; You are the true Laver, Laver, and Savior, of Whom the lawful Laver was a type (see Exodus 30:18; 38:8); You are the unrotting ark of the Covenant of our peace with the Father; You are unleavened and unsown Bread, having no sinful leaven; You are the true Passover Lamb, who delivered [Your] people from the Egyptians, from the opposing forces, from the Egyptian Pharaoh and from the pagans. Therefore, while waiting for You on the mountain, Moses says: “Show me Your glory, that I may see You intelligently, show me Yourself, if I have found grace before You” (cf. Exodus 33:13,18, according to LXX), because for me there is nothing more kind in the world than to see You and be filled with Your glory, Your goodness, Your image, Your by the light, by Your words, by Your obvious, undisguised coming to people, about which You foretold me in ancient times. Therefore I worship, I praise, I sing, for the legal darkness has passed, now I have seen “this great vision,” truly great. For how can He who told me at Sinai that “man cannot see My face and live” (see Exodus 33:20) is now seen face to face on earth in the flesh and lives with people? How do You, Who by nature are Life and Life-Giving, hasten to death? How do You, Who are above the highest and beyond the most distant, come to the dead? What is this, O Master, really the great mystery of Your death? You are going to appear to those who have fallen asleep from eternity; You want to visit your forefathers in hell; You descend to free Adam from fierce [sorrows]. All this, Master, You predicted for me during the law. That is why I readily allow boots and wisdom from the feet of the law, for the place on which I stand is the holy land and the promised land, about which You, Master, foretold to me of old in the bush: “take off the sandals from your feet,” that is, the law, and stop running and approaching, “for the place on which you stand” and where the running was stopped, “is holy land” (see. Exodus 3:5), - My coming from heaven to earth and descent into hell through death on the Cross. About this, says Luke, Moses and Elijah talked on the mountain, namely, “about the departure of His” soul from the body, “which He had to accomplish in Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31) in the suffering of the cross. Elijah and Moses obeyed, the Master taught, the disciples listened, the Father spoke from above, a cloud overshadowed, the mountain shone, its top smoked and shook, the stones ignited, angels rushed around, all this was an image and prototype of the Second Coming. And just as someone, looking from heaven, in the twinkling of an eye would immediately see everything on earth: lands, mountains, hills, seas, rivers, springs, people, cities, villages, plants, animals, reptiles and, simply put, all earthly creatures - so then on the mountain the disciples at once saw with their opened intelligent eyes, as far as it was possible to see, and even more than possible, the future Kingdom of Heaven. When the disciples saw the sky twisted and the sun quenched, the moon eclipsed and the stars falling, the earth shaking and tombs opened, angels rushing and archangels trumpeting, thrones presented and a river of fire drawing to itself, books opened and everyone standing in trepidation and confessing, then they were afraid of this vision and, being unable to endure, fell on their faces, as Luke says, because they were weighed down by frenzy and sleep, and the corruptible nature of their body could not bear to see incorruption, nor their deathly body endure the contemplation of immortality. Therefore, it seems to me that Moses and Elijah should have come then in better bodies. For they, as the Word of God says, appeared in glory (Luke 9:31), stood on the mountain without fear or embarrassment, but the disciples, overcome by a kind of stupor, or frenzy, fell, for Luke again says that “Peter and the disciples were heavy with sleep” (see Luke 9:32). And Matthew says: “When they came down from the mountain, Jesus forbade them, saying: Do not tell about this vision until the Son of Man rises from the dead” (see Matthew 17:9). “Don’t tell anyone about the vision,” says the Lord. Moses also spoke in a similar way on the mountain, [which typified Mount] Tabor: “When I pass, I will see this great vision” (Exodus 3:3, according to LXX). For what could be more significant or terrible than to see God in human form, with a shining face, shining like the sun and more than the sun, constantly emitting rays, pointing with a most pure finger at His face and speaking to those who were with Him in that place: “So the righteous will shine forth in the resurrection, so they will be glorified, transformed into this image of Mine, changed into this glory, depicted in this form, in this image, in such features, in such light, in such bliss, having become conformable and co-throne with Me, the Son of God.” Listening to what Christ said then on the mountain, the angels trembled, the prophets marveled, the disciples were amazed; the creature, hearing about its change from corruption to incorruption, rejoiced; the mountain rejoiced, the countries rejoiced, the villages glorified, the nations came running, the people rose up, the seas sang, the rivers splashed, Nazareth cried out, Babylon sang, Naphtali celebrated, the hills leaped, the deserts flourished, the paths were served, everyone ran together, everyone rejoiced. And now I joyfully and lovingly stand on this Divine height and peak and, stretching out my hand from this mountain, I call all the mountains to worship God and cry out: Mount Ararat, Mount Gilboa, Mount Sinai, Mount Paran, the northern mountains, the western mountains, the Lebanese mountains, the southern mountains, the mountains of the islands, all the mountains - bow your heads and worship Christ our God on Mount Tabor. And when many mountains play together, let us call: the mountains of Jordan, the mountains of Hermon, the mountains of Greece, the mountains of Olympia, the mountains of Ebal, the mountains of Arnon, the mountains of Epirus, Mount Gilead, Mount Zion, Mount Golgotha, Mount of Olives - sing together and rejoice, praising Christ with one voice on Mount Tabor, chanting Him together and saying: "Rejoice, Creator of all, Christ the King, Light-bearing, God-born, who formed all creation and recreated it for the best. Rejoice, Mary, God's Most Holy animated mountain of saints, forming Christ in the flesh, but not transforming, Mary, Mother of God living in Nazareth, Mother of the Virgin. Rejoice, image of the Heavenly Kingdom - this all-holy Mount Tabor, blushing with kindness more than all the mountains. Rejoice, you too, the neighboring and most divine of all rivers, the most honorable Jordan, like John the Baptist, who, like John the Baptist, showed with your leaping the rebirth of God in the spreading waters. Rejoice, you too, the smallest and most glorious of all the seas, the Sea of Tiberias, trodden and sanctified by the waterless Divine feet. Rejoice, land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, seaside path, pagan Galilee, the first to receive the great Light from the Father of lights. Rejoice, gathered on the mountain of priests and bishops, bearing the image of Christ the priest and wisely performing the priesthood in place of Melchizedek. Rejoice, equal angelic state of virgins and ascetics, imitating Elijah the Thesbite in life and contemplation. Rejoice, all faithful people receive church praise, for the real celebration and celebration is full of joy and joy." And now, the people of God, who have gathered on the bright holiday of the Divine Mountain, rejoice with one soul and one voice with the angels, circle with the stars, preach with the Apostles, foreshadow with Moses, with Elijah, proclaim from the top, thunder from the clouds, testify from the sky, cry from the mountain, sound the trumpet from the stone, call Nazareth, gather Galilee, illuminate your holiday, decorate with songs of praise, shine with lamps, leap with the mountains, sing with the virgins, make noise with the sea, serve with the Jordan, ascend to the mountain, on Mount Tabor celebrate the All-Tsar, the true God and our Lord Jesus Christ, for to Him be glory in forever and ever.