Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
O Saving Victim opening wide
The gate of Heaven to all below.
Our foes press on from every side;
Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow.
To Thy great name be endless praise;
Immortal Godhead, One in Three;
Grant us endless length of days,
In our true native land with Thee. Amen.
Invocation of the Holy Spirit
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the Earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
The First Day: Today is a Joyful Day
One day Jesus left Nazareth, his hometown, and lived in Capernaum. During that time it was a big city, not distant form Nazareth. The decision entailed a gesture of farewell to his mother and his town mates. Everyone making a decision said goodbye and gave up something. A vocation of service always signifies some form of sacrifice. It is the price of the Kingdom of God.
Mary, our mother, like her son, was growing in her faith, her understanding of Jesus’s vocation, and her acceptance of the mission God destined for her son. For her, this process meant uncertainties, sufferings, fears, and anxieties, just as for many mothers who share with their son’s commitment to fight for justice and risk their lives.
God of life and glory, your son was revealed in splendour before he suffered death upon the cross; grant that we, beholding his majesty, may be strengthened to follow him and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.
The Second Day: My Own Transfiguration
Sometimes during the intense moments of our lives, we ask ourselves, in a very special way, what we ought to do, what our vocation and responsibility is. These are moments when we are touched by the pain of injustice around us, and with our strength, we share something in the hope that things may change. This is the time when we experience the presence of God, who leads us toward the future full of hope. This is the moment when God speaks to us and we become so enlightened as to understand him. This is how Jesus felt when He was transfigured in the Mountain of Tabor.
God, you have scattered the darkness with your light and have poured your light into our hearts so that we might look upon the radiant face of Jesus Christ. Nourish in us the desire to contemplate your beloved Son. Amen.
The Third Day: Way of Witnessing to the Resurrection
The Transfiguration was necessary to help the apostles increase their faith and recognize the divinity of Jesus, and his union with the Father, the Spirit, and the prophets of the Old Testament. Maybe there is another kind of transfiguration that is needed for us so that, like the apostles, when the vision was over, we may be able to “look up and see no one, but only Jesus.” The transfiguration to which we refer is the indwelling of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the word, in our neighbour, and in us. This kind of transfiguration will enable us to see the common things of earth, sky, and sea with a new wonder and fresh joy. It will also enable us to see the presence of Jesus within ourselves and in the people who cross our path, even if they drive us crazy. We may think that such an attitude is too difficult to acquire but it is something that we can continuously ask for and desire.
O God, according to your plan, you have called us to holiness by your grace which you have revealed in Jesus Christ, through your Gospel show us the way so we could share in your mission of glorious splendour of unending life. Amen.
The Fourth Day: Experiencing God’s Presence in our Lives – The Joy of Having Christ
In the transfiguration, we can see just how much Peter lived his calling with enthusiasm and with a sense of responsibility. “Master, it is wonderful for us to be here, so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Here we see Peter in all his generosity. At this moment he feels at the height of his power and ability. He is growing in awareness of his responsibility, the weight he carries on his shoulders.
Loving Father, you have so loved us that we have been called to be sons of God. When Christ comes again, grant us that we may be like him. Amen.
The Fifth Day: Transfiguration and Agony
The transfiguration anticipates the paschal mystery which begins with the cross. Jesus attains his permanent glory in his resurrection. But first he must die on the cross. Transfiguration appears as a preparation and a strengthening for the disciples to face the coming passion and death of Jesus, when his glory seems most unseen. It was given to the disciples to prepare them for the tragedy of the cross.
O Christ, before your passion and death you revealed the resurrection to your disciples on Mount Tabor; we pray for your church which labours amid the cares and anxieties of this world, that in its trials it may always be transfigured by the joy of your victory. Amen.
The Sixth Day: Our Mission as Disciples of Jesus
The value of the vision and the accompanying glory is its gift of equipping us for service and endurance. No one can stay on the mountaintop of Tabor forever, for there are responsibilities in the valley. Christ fulfilled His life’s work not in the glory but in the valley, and it was there He was truly and completely the Messiah.
O Christ, you took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves. We pray for our Pope and bishops that they may inspire in your people the hope of being transfigured at the last day. Amen.
The Seventh Day: Transfiguration and Resurrection
Without the risen Christ, the Transfiguration has no meaning. It would appear to be just a futile show without a happy ending. But the resurrection confirms the glory that was shown during the Transfiguration and which rightly belongs to Jesus. The glory will be manifested eventually in his second coming for the last judgment.
O Christ, you gave light to the world when the glory of the Creator arose over you. We pray for the men and women of good will that they walk in your light. Amen.
The Eighth Day: Revelation of Jesus to the Three
The Transfiguration of the Lord is one shining moment in the life of the apostles that prepares them for the trials ahead. Peter, James, and John experience the glory in the mountain of transfiguration. This is a foretaste of the glory that will be theirs in the Father’s kingdom, and it will let them see them through the terrible days when Jesus undergoes his passion and death, and when they themselves are persecuted in his name.
O Christ, upon the mountaintop you let the light of your face shine over Moses and Elijah. We ask your blessing upon your people who call on your name, who want to belong to your kingdom of light and life. Amen.
The Ninth Day: Transfiguration and the Blessed Trinity
The event of the Transfiguration marks a decisive moment in the ministry of Jesus. A revelatory event which prefigures the glory of the Resurrection, it was given to the disciples to prepare them for the tragedy of the cross. The resurrection of Jesus is the epiphany of the Trinity. The Father raises Jesus from the dead, and the first gift of the glorification is the sending of the Holy Spirit.
O Christ, as you will reform our lowly body and make it like your glorious one, we pray for our brothers and sisters who have died that they may share your glory forever. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
God, our Father, in the transfigured glory of Christ your Son, you strengthen our faith by confirming the witness of your prophets and by showing to us the splendour of your beloved Son, help us to become heirs to the eternal life with Him, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Blessed Benediction
Tantum Ergo Sacramentum
Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail,
Lo! o’er ancient forms departing
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.
To the everlasting Father,
And the Son Who reigns on high
With the Holy Ghost proceeding
Forth from Each eternally,
Be salvation, honour, blessing,
Might and endless majesty. Amen.
