The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord: Light from the Holy Mountain
A celebration of divine glory in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, celebrated on August 6, is one of the twelve Great Feasts of the liturgical year in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC). This radiant celebration commemorates the moment when Christ revealed His divine glory to His closest disciples on Mount Tabor. Rooted deeply in biblical revelation, liturgical tradition, and symbolic ritual, this feast shines with the light of Christ’s majesty and prefigures His Resurrection and our own transformation in Him.
The Gospel of Matthew 17:1–9 recounts the Transfiguration:
“Jesus took with him Peter and James and John… and he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun…”
(Matthew 17:1–2)
On the mountain, Jesus reveals His divine nature, shining with uncreated light. Appearing alongside Moses and Elijah, He is shown as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. A voice from heaven proclaims:
“This is my Son, the Beloved; with Him I am well pleased; listen to Him!”
(Matthew 17:5)
This Theophany is not merely a glimpse of Christ’s glory but a foreshadowing of His Resurrection and a revelation of our own potential transformation through grace.
The Epistle, 2 Peter 1:10–19, confirms the apostolic witness:
“We had been eyewitnesses of His majesty… on the holy mountain.”
(2 Peter 1:16–18)
The Prophet David, through the Psalms sung in the liturgy, echoes the majesty of this moment:
“You robe Yourself in light as with a cloak.”
(Psalm 104:2)
The Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated with profound solemnity in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. The services are filled with the imagery of light, glory, and divine mystery.
Throughout the Divine Liturgy, the faithful hear antiphons and hymns that reflect the mystery of the feast:
“You were transfigured on the mount, O Christ God,
showing Your glory to Your disciples as much as they could bear.”
(Troparion, Tone 7)
The Troparion is repeated throughout the liturgy and acts as a spiritual refrain, reminding the faithful of the revelation and our desire to be transformed by His eternal light.
The Kontakion connects the Transfiguration to the Crucifixion, reinforcing that the glory seen on the mountain strengthens the disciples’ faith for the coming Passion:
“That when they saw You crucified, they might know You suffered willingly…”
The Prokeimenon draws from Psalm 103:
“How great are Your works, O Lord; You have made all things in wisdom.”
And the Alleluia from Psalm 88 proclaims:
“Blessed are the people who know the festal shout;
they will walk in the light of Your countenance, O Lord.”
These scriptural verses enhance the sense of divine radiance that fills this feast.
As always in Eastern tradition, the Mother of God is honored during the feast:
“O my soul, magnify the Lord transfigured on the mountain.”
The Irmos further confesses the mystery of Christ’s incarnation:
“Your giving birth was revealed as incorrupt; for it was God who came forth from your womb…”
In the UGCC, it is customary to bring baskets of grapes, apples, pears, and other first fruits to be blessed at the end of the Divine Liturgy. This tradition, rooted in the ancient practice of offering the first fruits of the harvest to God, reflects thanksgiving for His blessings.
Grapes are particularly symbolic: they are the fruit of the vine, transformed into the Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. The Transfiguration, too, is a transformation—from natural to divine.
In some regions, especially rural Ukrainian communities, flowers and medicinal herbs are also brought and blessed. This echoes the renewal of all creation in Christ’s glory and the belief that, through His transfiguration, the material world is sanctified.
The Transfiguration is not merely a past event but a present invitation. It calls the faithful to ascend the mountain of prayer, to behold the glory of the Son, and to be transformed “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). It reveals Christ as “the Brightness of the Father” and urges us to “walk in the light of His countenance.”
The continual refrain heard in the liturgy—
“Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.”—
reminds us that we are not alone in this ascent. Mary, the Theotokos, intercedes for us as we seek the light of Christ.
The Feast of the Transfiguration is a celebration of divine light, heavenly glory, and spiritual transformation. Through the sacred liturgy, scriptural readings, and traditional blessings, the faithful are invited not only to witness the light of Christ but to be illumined by it.
“We will walk in the light of Your face, O Lord,
and rejoice in Your name forever.”
(Communion Hymn – Psalm 88:16-17)
On this feast, let us ascend the spiritual mountain with Peter, James, and John, and gaze upon the face of Christ, who desires to transfigure not only His disciples, but all of creation, beginning with us.
Glory be to Jesus Christ!
