The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee recently celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration.

“The Feast of Transfiguration of the Lord commemorates a key moment in Christ's ministry,” the diocese posted online about the event observed Aug. 6. “He revealed his divinity to his three closest disciples through a miraculous and supernatural appearance and encounter.” 

The Transfiguration occurred when Jesus ascended Mount Tabor with three of his disciples — Peter, James and John — and Jesus became transfigured, Britannica said. The Transfiguration, or spiritual change in form, revealed the "Second Person of the Trinity", who was typically hidden during Jesus' life on earth, according to Britannica. 

The Transfiguration is described in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 17: "There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus." A voice then spoke to the disciples and said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” The disciples were frightened, but Jesus told them not to be afraid. 

On the Feast of the Transfiguration in 2017, Pope Francis spoke in St. Peter's Square and said, "The event of the Lord’s Transfiguration offers us a message of hope — thus shall we be, with Him —: it invites us to encounter Jesus, to be at the service of our brothers and sisters," according to the Vatican. 

"The disciples’ ascent up Mount Tabor leads us to reflect on the importance of disengaging from worldly matters, in order to make a journey toward heaven and to contemplate Jesus,” he said. “It is a matter of being attentive to the careful and prayerful listening of Christ, the beloved Son of the Father, seeking intimate moments of prayer that allow for the docile and joyful welcoming of the Word of God. In this spiritual ascent, in this disengagement from worldly matters, we are called to rediscover the peaceful and regenerative silence of meditating on the Gospel, on the reading of the Bible, which leads to a destination rich in beauty, splendor and joy.”