From the Glory of Tabor to the Fruits of Thanksgiving: The Metropolia of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA Celebrates the Bright Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

“Lord, it is good for us to be here.” (Matthew 17:4)

On the bright and radiant Feast of the Holy Transfiguration of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, the bells of St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Memorial Church in South Bound Brook, New Jersey, once again summoned the faithful to ascend spiritually with Christ and His disciples to the heights of Mount Tabor.

His Eminence Archbishop Daniel, the Spiritual Father of the Western Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, presided over the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, surrounded by clergy, seminarians, chanters, and faithful who, despite the responsibilities of a weekday and their work schedules, came to stand before the Lord and prayerfully experience the mystery proclaimed by the Gospel: Christ revealed in divine glory.

Concelebrating with His Eminence were the Very Rev. Fr. Vasyl Shakh of St. Panteleimon Ukrainian Orthodox Parish in Brooklyn, New York; the Very Rev. Fr. Ivan Lyszhyk of St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Memorial Church in South Bound Brook, New Jersey; and the Rev. Fr. Ivan Tchopko of the Three Holy Hierarchs Chapel of St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary, together with Deacon Andrii Akulenko and Deacon Mykola Stefanyk and the assisting clergy and servers.

The liturgical responses were prayerfully chanted by the duet of Mykhaylo Andrec and Natalia Honcharenko, whose voices lifted the prayers of the gathered faithful toward the One Who revealed His uncreated light upon Tabor.

The Gospel of the feast takes us to the mountain where Christ brought Peter, James, and John apart from the others. There, before their eyes,“His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” (Matthew 17:2)

In his homily, Archbishop Daniel reminded the faithful that Christ did not become something on Tabor that He had not been before. Rather, for a brief moment, the eyes of the apostles were opened to behold the glory that eternally belongs to Him.

“The miracle of Tabor is not that Christ suddenly began to shine,” His Eminence reflected. “The miracle is that human eyes were permitted to see what had always been there. The disciples were granted a glimpse of the divine glory hidden beneath the humility of Christ's humanity. And this is also the invitation offered to every Christian: to allow Christ to open the eyes of our hearts so that we may recognize His presence even in the ordinary, difficult, and sometimes painful moments of our lives.”

The Transfiguration, therefore, is not simply an event that occurred two thousand years ago. It reveals the destiny of humanity itself. In Christ, human nature is illumined by divine grace. The feast reminds us that salvation is not merely forgiveness of sins; it is transformation - theosis, participation by grace in the life and glory of God.

“Christianity is not simply about becoming a slightly better version of ourselves,” Archbishop Daniel said. “Christ calls us to be transfigured - to allow anger to become mercy, fear to become faith, selfishness to become sacrificial love, despair to become hope, and darkness within us to be filled with His light.”

The Gospel contains another beautiful detail. Seeing Christ in glory with Moses and Elijah, the Apostle Peter cries out: “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)

Peter's reference to tabernacles carries a profound biblical resonance. The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles - Sukkot - recalled Israel's journey through the wilderness, when the people dwelt in temporary shelters and depended entirely upon God's providence. It was also a joyful harvest feast of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth. In the biblical tradition, the feast became associated with God's dwelling among His people and with hope for the fullness of His Kingdom.

On Tabor, these themes reach a remarkable fulfillment. Peter wants to construct earthly tents, but the Father reveals that the true dwelling place of God is already standing before him: Jesus Christ Himself. A luminous cloud overshadows the disciples, recalling the cloud of God's presence that accompanied Israel in the wilderness. And from the cloud comes the voice: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5)

Archbishop Daniel reflected: “Peter wanted to build a tent for Christ. But Christ came to build His dwelling within Peter - and within each one of us. God does not desire merely a structure made by human hands. He desires the human heart. The question of Tabor is therefore very personal: Have I made room within myself for Christ to dwell?”

The imagery of the Feast of Tabernacles also helps illuminate the Transfiguration as a revelation of God's Kingdom. The Israelites once walked through the wilderness beneath the cloud of God's presence. On Tabor, the disciples themselves enter the luminous cloud and hear the Father's voice. Humanity is being invited into communion with the Holy Trinity.

Following the ancient and beloved tradition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the faithful arrived carrying beautifully prepared baskets overflowing with the fruits of the season - grapes, apples, pears, peaches and other fruits and vegetables - to be blessed following the Divine Liturgy.

This custom is much more than a picturesque ethnic tradition. The Church takes the first fruits of God's creation and offers them back to their Creator with thanksgiving. The fruit begins as something almost invisible: a tiny seed placed into dark soil. It receives rain, sunlight, warmth and nourishment. Slowly, silently, it matures until the day comes when it is gathered and offered.

So too is the spiritual life. God plants the seed of His grace within us. Through prayer, repentance, the Holy Eucharist, acts of mercy, patience, suffering, forgiveness and love, that seed is meant to mature until our lives themselves bear fruit for the Kingdom of Heaven.

“When you bring your basket of fruit before the Cross today,” Archbishop Daniel explained, “you are really bringing your life. The apple, the grape, the peach - none of them created themselves. They received sunlight, rain, soil and time. And neither did we create the blessings of our lives by ourselves. Every breath, every person we love, every opportunity to serve, every day given to us is ultimately a gift from God.”

His Eminence continued: “Therefore, when the priest blesses these fruits, the Church teaches us to say with our whole life: ‘Lord, everything I have comes from You, and with gratitude I return it to You.’ The most beautiful basket we can offer Christ, however, is a human heart filled with the fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

The blessing of fruit thus becomes a Eucharistic gesture - an act of thanksgiving. Creation itself is brought into the prayer of the Church. The fruit has been ripened by the light of the sun; the Christian is called to ripen beneath the Light of Christ.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Daniel, the clergy, seminarians, and faithful formed a prayerful procession from St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Memorial Church across the grounds of the Metropolitan Center to the Holy Transfiguration Chapel.

The procession itself became an icon of the Christian journey. The apostles had to walk with Christ before they reached Tabor. They had to climb before they could behold His glory. And after seeing that glory, they still had to descend the mountain and return to the struggles of everyday life. So it is with us.

There are moments when God allows us to experience the peace of prayer, the beauty of the Divine Liturgy, the joy of a feast, or an unexpected awareness of His presence. Yet we cannot remain permanently upon the mountain.

We must return to our homes, our workplaces, our families, our responsibilities, and sometimes our crosses. But we return differently.

“We do not come to church in order to escape the world,” Archbishop Daniel reminded those gathered. “We come to be transfigured by Christ so that we can return to the world carrying something of Tabor within us. Someone in your family needs that light. Someone at your workplace needs that kindness. Someone who is discouraged needs the hope that Christ has placed within you.”

At the Holy Transfiguration Chapel, His Eminence solemnly blessed the baskets of fruit and vegetables brought by the faithful, asking Almighty God to sanctify His creation and those who receive it with thanksgiving.

The faithful then approached Archbishop Daniel to receive his archpastoral blessing and to be anointed with blessed oil as the joyful celebration continued in the spirit of Christian fellowship.

Perhaps the most important words spoken by Peter on the mountain were also the simplest: “Lord, it is good for us to be here.” It is good for us to stand before Christ. It is good for us to see beyond the darkness that so often surrounds human life. It is good for us to remember that suffering, fear, war, illness, uncertainty and even death do not possess the final word. The final word belongs to Christ.

And the Christ Who will later walk toward Golgotha is the same Christ Who stands upon Tabor radiant with divine glory. The light of Tabor therefore prepares the disciples for the darkness of Calvary. They are shown beforehand that beyond the Cross stands the Resurrection.

Archbishop Daniel concluded his reflection with an invitation: “Do not leave Tabor here today. Take Tabor with you. Carry it into your home. Carry it into your marriage and family. Carry it to the sick. Carry it to the lonely. Carry it into every conversation and every difficulty. Let another human being look into your eyes and discover that you have stood in the presence of Christ.”

As the faithful departed carrying their blessed baskets, the fruit itself became a quiet sermon. What had received the light of the sun had ripened and become sweet. And so must we.

Having stood beneath the spiritual light of Tabor, having received Christ in the Holy Eucharist, and having heard once again the Father's command - “This is My beloved Son… hear Him!” - we are sent back into the world to ripen spiritually beneath the grace of God and to bear fruit worthy of His Kingdom.

For the Transfiguration is not only Christ's revelation upon the mountain. It is also His invitation to us: Come into the Light. Remain in the Light. Become bearers of the Light.

And then, through a life transfigured by Christ, let that Light shine before the world.

Glory to You, O Christ our God, Who revealed Your glory to Your disciples as far as they could bear it! May Your everlasting Light shine also upon us sinners, through the prayers of the Most Holy Birth-Giver of God. O Giver of Light, glory to You!

|

|

| |||||||||||