The Rev’d Ivica Gregurec

Year A, Transfiguration, 9 August 2026

Readings: Exodus 34:29-35, Psalm 97, 2 Peter 1:16-21, Luke 9:28-36

One of the most exciting discoveries, in my early studies of liturgy was the reconciliation of two completely clashing concepts of time: linear (western), with whole world moving forward, from A to B, from birth to death, from life to eternity; and cyclic (eastern) concept of time, that implies that time returns in cycles (most visibly expressed in process of re-incarnation in Hindu and Buddhist thoughts). Our liturgy professor (later assistant Bishop of Zagreb) has offered a thought that liturgical time, celebrations and feast days we repeat over and over again are, in fact a wonderful bridge between linear and cyclic. He suggested to call it a spiral time: though in essence linear, the annual repetitions, over and over, in a spiral way, help us to progress in time between “already and not yet”, but in a semi-cyclic way, repetitively. This was one of the first moment in my study life, that I was absolutely blown away with something exciting non-binary and trying to breach the dichotomy. It suffices to say that I like this principle.
Nevertheless, the repetitiveness of days and celebrations, year after year, is something challenging for us preachers. What new can we say about certain feast days? How many times, year after year, would you like to hear that Moses and Elijah represent Law and Prophets and confirm Jesus’ mission?

The Feast of the Transfiguration is a theological and spiritual treasure shared by both the Eastern and Western traditions of the Christian Church. In the Anglican tradition, we find a deep resonance with the Hesychastic movement of the Eastern Orthodox Church, particularly through the writings of St Gregory Palamas (1296 -1359). Palamas, a defender of the Hesychast practice, taught that the light of the Transfiguration is not merely a historical event but a living, uncreated divine energy, the very glory of God, that we are called to participate in through prayer, contemplation, and the sacraments.
For Palamas, the Transfiguration is the supreme revelation of God’s uncreated light, the same light that Moses saw on Mount Sinai and that the disciples beheld on Mount Tabor. This light is not a created phenomenon but the eternal glory of God, accessible to those who purify their hearts and minds through Hesychia (inner stillness).
The Hesychastic tradition, central to Eastern Orthodox spirituality, emphasizes silent prayer, contemplation, and the repetition of the Jesus Prayer (‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’). Its goal is theosis: the process of becoming partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). St Gregory Palamas argued that through purification of the heart and divine grace, humans can experience the uncreated light of God, the same light that transfigured Christ on the mountain.
In this light, the Transfiguration is not just a past event but a present reality for those who seek God in stillness. As Palamas wrote:
‘The light of the Transfiguration is not something that comes and goes, but the eternal glory of God, which is always present to those who are pure in heart.’

This aligns, I think, with the Anglican emphasis on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the sacramental life as a means of encountering divine glory. Namely, the Eucharist is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet, where we participate in the divine life of Christ. Similarly, in the Hesychastic tradition, the Liturgy and personal prayer are the means by which we ascend the mountain with Christ and are transformed by Christ’s glory.

The Transfiguration thus becomes a model for Christian life, as writers suggest:

1. Ascent – like Peter, James, and John, we are called to ascend the mountain through prayer, worship, and the sacraments.
2. Beholding – we are invited to behold the glory of God, not just in scripture or tradition, but in the living experience of God’s presence.
3. Transformation – having seen the light, we are changed, just as Moses’ face shone, and just as the disciples were never the same.

In today’s fast-paced, noise-filled world, in time when we can hear many who have abandoned Christianity in search for deeper spiritual practices, but without even trying to explore our own contemplative life, the Hesychastic call to stillness is more relevant than ever. The Transfiguration reminds us that true transformation begins in silence and contemplation. I wish to suggest few areas, where we can bring the newness of transfiguration:

1. In the practice of mindfulness and prayer
   The modern mindfulness movement, while secular, and religiously shared with other religious traditions, echoes the Hesychastic call to inner stillness. Christians can reclaim this practice by rooting it in Christ-centred prayer, such as the Jesus Prayer or contemplative meditation on scripture. In these moments of silence, we open ourselves to the divine light that transfigures us from within. Maybe contemplative prayer on first Sunday each month in Selwyn church might be a good tool?
2. In the struggle for peace and reconciliation
   The world is torn by conflict, division, and hatred. The Transfiguration calls us to become agents of reconciliation, reflecting the light of Christ in our interactions. The Hesychastic tradition teaches that inner peace leads to outer peace. As we cultivate stillness in our hearts, we become instruments of God’s peace in the world.
3. In the care for creation
   The uncreated light of the Transfiguration is the same light that sustains all creation. In a time of environmental crisis, the feast challenges us to see the divine glory in nature and to work for its preservation and renewal. The Hesychastic emphasis on seeing God in all things inspires us to care for the earth as a sacred trust.
4. In the pursuit of justice
   The light of the Transfiguration is also a light of justice. St Gregory Palamas himself was a defender of the poor and oppressed. Today, the feast calls us to stand with the marginalized, to challenge systemic injustice, and to work for a world where all may share in the abundance of God’s glory.

The Transfiguration is not just about seeing the light, but about becoming the light. As we celebrate this feast, let us ask ourselves:

• How can we cultivate stillness in our lives to encounter the divine light?
• In what ways can we reflect the glory of Christ in our actions and relationships?
• How can the Church be a beacon of transfiguration in a world that often seems dark?
  St Gregory Palamas reminds us that the light of Tabor is not reserved for a select few but is available to all who seek it with a pure heart. In the words of the Anglican mystic Evelyn Underhill:
  ‘The spiritual life is not a special career, involving abstraction from the world of things. It is a part of every person’s life; and until they have realized it, they are not a complete human being.’

The feast of Transfiguration gives us an opportunity to look deeper and go deeper. At the end, not everybody agreed with Palamas – 14th century Christian west, with its scholastic and cerebral approach, was even hostile to it. I do believe that it is a great reminder of that wonderful metaphysical reality beyond us – more we allow ourselves to dwell in it, we will be able to abandon that horrendous dichotomy of God above and beyond, and us down here. We will realise that we are in God and God in us and that light of eternity is transforming us daily!