Sunday Reflection with Fr Robin Gibbons: 6 August 2017

The Transfiguration

‘ Christ is the morning star who when the night of this world is past brings to his saints the promise of the light of life and opens everlasting day’.

These are the words of Saint Bede taken from his commentary on the book of Revelation, in an age when the preaching and teaching of Aidan and Oswald had just taken root in the North of England, Bede saw the young growing church in need of help to withstand the trials and tribulations of sin and falsehood just as the Church of Thyatira needed the advice and insight of the writer of Revelation.

In his gifted way Bede brings to life the impact of light and dawn on those dark nights and lands of the northlands, as the dawn comes, as the light banishes the dark so will Christ that true morning star banish all that is dark including death itself.

Christ our Morning Star, is the true light that shines in the darkness, not only will he come in the brightness of that radiance of glory on the last day, he is always with his people, shining truth and love into their lives and hearts.

A glimpse of that glory, of light beyond light, was given to the three disciples on the mountain where Christ shines brighter than the sun and they hear the voice telling them that he is the beloved son of the Father.

Peter reminds us that this is a true happening and that for a moment the brightness of the transfigured Lord shone on them, here are his words: “We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”. (2Pt 1: 18,19.)

In times of grief or those black dog days, as Churchill described depression, these words of Bede give as all of us hope. The transfigured Lord is also the Risen Christ who has defeated death, who calls us homewards even in this life and is present in hope. May we pray often this prayer so that the words of Bede become real for each one of us. May Christ our morning star open for us everlasting day!

Prayer of St Bede:

O Christ, our Morning Star,
Splendour of Light Eternal,shining with the glory of the rainbow,
come and waken usfrom the greyness of our apathy,
and renew in us your gift of hope.

Amen.

Fr Robin is an Eastern Rite Catholic Chaplain for Melkites in the UK. He is also an Ecumenical Canon of Christ Church, Oxford