…they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. Luke 9:32
In the Transfiguration of Christ, each of the Persons of the Holy Spirit is present. It is a theophany–a tangible manifestation–of the Holy Trinity. Jesus appeared in glory, the shining “Light of the World” (John 8:12); the Holy Spirit appeared as a “bright cloud;” and the Father spoke: “then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my chosen Son; listen to him'” (Luke 9:35). The Transfiguration is a revelation of the Lord’s glory and points us to the future glory of Christ’s resurrection. Christ became radiant, revealing His glorified self. He gave His chosen few apostles a taste of His resurrection: the ultimate glorification.
We too are called to this glory in heaven. St. Paul tells us this in our second reading: “He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself” (Philippians 3:21). Those who are resurrected to life in heaven with the Lord will have a share in this glory!
St. Paul goes into depth on our resurrected bodies after the last day (CCC 1001) in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58. The heart of it is this: “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust [Adam], we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven [Jesus]” (1 Corinthians 15:49). And St. John tells us, “Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
“When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” – Colossians 3:4
St. Thomas Aquinas wrote about what our glorified bodies would be like in heaven in the Supplement to his Summa Theologica. He wrote: “For the glorified bodies will be made like to the body of Christ according to Philippians 3:21.” A very brief summary of how our glorified bodies will become (click the links for his teaching): They will be impassible, or incorruptible, meaning we will never become sick or die. Our bodies will be subtle, meaning they will be not be bound by physical barriers. They will be agile, meaning they can move effortlessly through space and time. They will have clarity, being filled with light. That sounds pretty amazing, doesn’t it?!
The Catechism teaches: “In death, the separation of the soul from the body, the human body decays and the soul goes to meet God, while awaiting its reunion with its glorified body. God, in his almighty power, will definitively grant incorruptible life to our bodies by reuniting them with our souls, through the power of Jesus’ Resurrection” (CCC 997).
So what does this mean for us today? It means that your body is PRECIOUS to the Lord. It is YOUR body. He created it specifically for you. This is the same body you will have forever, just one day you won’t have all the aches, pains, flaws, and limitations that we all have now on earth. What a joy and hope to consider!
If you want to learn more about this, check out Fr. Mike Schmitz’ teaching on our Resurrected bodies. It’s amazing to consider what we will be like on day in heaven!