Sermon of His Grace, Bishop Partenij of Antania, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Bigorski, delivered at the Great Vespers for the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, at the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos in Kichevo, on August 5/18, 2023
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!
Beloved, we find ourselves on the eve of the great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Through the beauty of tonight’s liturgical service, the Holy Church seeks to draw us into the mystery of this magnificent celebration. In fact, liturgically speaking, the evening service marks the beginning of a new day, which is why it always opens with Psalm 103—a hymn of praise for the creation of the world. During great feasts, the Church typically reads additional Old Testament passages related to the feast’s theme. Tonight, the divinely wise and spiritually illumined Fathers have appointed readings dedicated to two great prophets: Moses and Elijah. These texts, drawn respectively from the Book of Exodus and the Books of Kings, highlight events from the lives of these fiery prophets. The inspired selection of these readings is meant to remind us that God’s revelation to humanity follows a continuous path, and that the ultimate purpose of this revelation—the meaning of the entire divine economy—is our salvation and deification. These scriptural readings unequivocally demonstrate how profoundly the Creator and Maker of all things loves humanity, whom He created to be His friend, to commune and fellowship with Him, and to share in His divine beauty and joy.
The sole reason for creation and the goal of all that God made is love. Everything that God brought into being, He did out of love. And He loves humanity—the crown of His creation—beyond measure, having formed us in His image and likeness. Made by the infinite love of God, humanity was given only one “task”: to return love freely to our all-good and all-loving Father. In the beginning, this was indeed the case. In the opening pages of the Holy Scriptures, we read that the first-created ancestors, Adam and Eve, lived in constant communion with God. Yet, just as it is today, the greatest challenge for humanity arose from the gift of free will and its misuse. For when God created Adam and Eve, He endowed them—and through them, all of us—with the most precious gift: freedom. In this lies the greatness of His incomprehensible love. He gave us the ability to choose: whether we would freely abide in His love—the love of the Creator, who is light, enlightenment, joy, and exultation—or whether we would pursue our own desires and irrational passions, which instead of leading us toward the blissful, the elevated, and the eternal for which we were created, drag us toward the earthly, the temporary, and the corruptible. The first-created ones, and unfortunately, all of us, chose the latter path. Thus, humanity distanced itself greatly from the Heavenly Father and from the life found in Him, handing itself over as a captive to death. Yet God did not permit humanity to perish entirely. He continued to speak to His beloved creation, revealing Himself through His chosen ones. For even amid the general fall, there were still people with pure hearts who sincerely sought God with love. These were the many prophets of the Old Testament, who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, conveyed God’s messages to the people. God did not choose them because they were without sin, but because they possessed souls that continually longed for Him.
Tonight, we heard the reading about the great prophet Moses, who, from the moment he was rescued from the river by Pharaoh’s daughter as a baby, spent half his life living as an Egyptian, and likely adopted some pagan customs. Yet God still chose him because of the goodness of his heart, his inner purity, and his meekness. Moses was not even eloquent in speech; he stuttered, and he used this physical weakness as an excuse before God, trying to escape the responsibility of leading the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Considering himself wholly unworthy of such a great divine task, he humbly told God: “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Exodus 4:10). Yet God, who had found His dwelling in Moses’ heart, immediately provided a solution, assuring His chosen one that his brother Aaron would speak on his behalf, conveying to the people the revelations given to Moses. Thus, God desired to speak through Moses and made him a mediator between Himself and the people of Israel.
Beloved, what is particularly moving is the way God communicated with Moses. The Holy Scripture tells us: “The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11). Yet, God was exceedingly careful in how He conversed with His friend, ensuring that He would not harm him in any way, for no human being can endure the incomprehensible nature of the eternal Godhead. The Lord said to Moses: “I will make all My goodness pass before you, but My face you shall not see, for no one shall see My face and live” (Exodus 33:19-20). Of course, this does not imply that God possesses a face like ours; rather, He was revealing to Moses that no one can comprehend the divine essence, which is utterly incomprehensible to any created being. Therefore, God sheltered Moses in the cleft of the rock, so that when He revealed Himself, Moses would not be consumed by the unbearable radiance of His uncreated light.
Similarly, God acted in the same way with the Holy Prophet Elijah. If Moses, whom we have been discussing, is considered the founder of the Law, Elijah could be described as its zealous guardian and fiery champion. In the narrative of Elijah’s life found in the Books of Kings, we see how ardently he safeguarded the Mosaic Law and tirelessly labored to inscribe it upon the hearts of the Israelites. In tonight’s Old Testament reading, we witness Elijah in a moment of despair, believing that all had abandoned the true God. But the Lord comforted him, saying that He had preserved seven thousand men who had not bowed their knees to the idol Baal, assuring Elijah that he was not alone in his faith.
God then called Elijah to ascend a high mountain, where He would reveal Himself in an extraordinary vision. When Elijah stood by the cave and covered his face with his mantle, several mighty phenomena followed: first, a great and powerful wind that tore through the mountains and shattered rocks; after the wind, a violent earthquake; and after the earthquake, a blazing fire. But the Lord was not in these destructive forces. Instead, He revealed Himself in a gentle breeze. Through this, the Almighty God, the Pantocrator who created the entire cosmos, wished to show Elijah that He is gentle, kind, and compassionate; that He desires to comfort and caress the hearts of His children. It was as if He were saying to Elijah: “Do not be so harsh and severe with sinners, for you see how merciful I am toward them. With love, I draw them to Myself, and I send both rain and sunshine equally to the righteous and the unrighteous, desiring the salvation of all.”
Ultimately, beloved, God came to us as a man—the Creator became one of His creations. This is precisely what today’s feast reveals to us. The transcendent, eternal, and incomprehensible God, the Maker of all things visible and invisible, entered time and history as a man, making Himself accessible to us. And on this day, in order to console and strengthen His disciples, so they would not be shaken or disheartened by the terrifying events awaiting them on Golgotha—the Cross, the cup of suffering—He took His three disciples, Peter, James, and John, up the Mount of Transfiguration. There, He was transfigured before them, revealing a glimpse of His divine glory, as much as they could bear according to their human nature. He unveiled a part of His uncreated light and beauty, the indescribable grace and splendor in which He eternally dwells.
As we read in the New Testament, the state in which the three apostles found themselves during the Transfiguration was so wondrous that Peter exclaimed: “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Matthew 17:4). It was so beautiful in that divine grace and light that the apostles did not want to leave; they desired to remain in that state forever. This longing was natural because human beings are created precisely for such communion with God. The apostles felt at home in that divine energy, for our souls and our very beings are fashioned for this—to reach a state of deification and to dwell in divine grace and light.
During the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, the two great prophets, Moses and Elijah, appeared and conversed with Christ. The Lord called upon these two Old Testament pillars and transfigured Himself before them to demonstrate that He is the greatest and most faithful fulfiller of the Mosaic Law. For the Jews had accused the Lord Jesus of allegedly violating the Law of Moses, thus blaspheming God. Furthermore, the appearance of Moses and Elijah showed that Christ is greater than all the prophets and that they are His chosen servants.
This evening, the Church seeks to draw us into the mystery of this great feast, while also preparing us through fasting. Historically, this event took place before the Lord Jesus Christ’s suffering on the Cross. However, since this feast is one of joy and exaltation, the Holy Fathers chose not to celebrate it during Great Lent, so as not to disrupt the penitential tone of the Fast. Therefore, it was placed within the Dormition Fast, which serves both feasts: the Transfiguration and the Dormition of the Theotokos. In these days, through fasting and prayer, we prepare to celebrate the Dormition of the Queen Mother, the Most Holy Theotokos, who is also the reason for today’s joy. Through her pure heart and immaculate body, she brought the Lord Christ into the world. It is necessary, therefore, that we prepare through fasting and asceticism, through self-discipline and prayer, so that we may fully experience the spiritual magnitude of the feast through contemplation and communion with God.
We must guard our senses and faculties, keeping them gathered and pure, so that we may immerse ourselves in the mystical beauty and power of the Transfiguration. Yet, it is not easy for a person to remain constantly in contemplation of divine realities. Before reaching such a state, one must struggle—first against distracting thoughts, against the multitude of passions and desires of fallen human nature, and against the inclination of our wounded ego, which constantly pulls us downward. Today, we also face an additional obstacle in our ascent toward the heavenly: the circumstances of the world we live in, especially the materialistic and hedonistic worldview, along with the spiritually devastating effects of technocracy. We live in a tumultuous world, a world engulfed in confusion and darkness.
However, we Christians are children of the continuous flow of divine revelation. Nowhere else—in any religion, philosophy, or belief system—do we find what we have: the unfolding of God’s self-revelation throughout history, culminating in His descent to earth and His manifestation in human flesh. This is unique to the Christian faith, within the Church of God. Therefore, despite the chaos that fills the world in this 21st century, we are called to the light and to dwell in contemplation. That is why the Holy Church prepares us and guides us on the path of ascetic effort and restraint.
So, beloved, let us immerse ourselves in contemplation from this very evening, so that the great mystery of this wondrous feast may be revealed to us. As Christians, we are already blessed to unite with God at every Divine Liturgy. While in the Old Testament it was exceedingly rare and difficult for a person to commune with God, now, in the New Testament, through Christ, we are overshadowed by God’s grace at every Liturgy. In every church, the grace of Mount Tabor is present, and we unite with God, even physically, through His Divine Body and Blood. Thus, the monastery where we are gathered today is a kind of Tabor.
The monks here resemble the three apostles—Peter, James, and John. Not all the apostles ascended Mount Tabor, but only those chosen by God. Yes, they beheld God’s majesty, but they also bore great responsibility. The same is true for the monks: to be chosen to live constantly on Tabor is a great blessing and a mighty grace, but it is also a profound responsibility.
Therefore, beloved monks and nuns, bear in mind that God calls us to continual contemplation, so that we may strive to share our spiritual experiences with others, just as the apostles Peter, James, and John were entrusted to do. Just as those disciples recounted to others what they witnessed on Tabor, so too must we bear witness that our Christ is the God of grace, of light, and of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The monk is a guide toward Tabor, toward divine grace. But, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, you too are no less called to this. The brilliance of Tabor is not reserved for a select few but is the ultimate goal for all of us. Through the prayers of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos, the prayers of the great prophets Moses and Elijah, and the prayers of Christ’s disciples Peter, James, and John, may God lead us into the mystery of the Tabor light.
Amen!
