The Transfiguration in the Life of the Virgin Mary

The fact that Mary was absent at the Transfiguration does not mean that she never had a glimpse of Jesus’ glory before his resurrection. As we know, she was present at Cana: "Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him." (John 2:11)

However, Mary was mostly removed from public life. She knew, from the time that she conceived, that Jesus was from on high, but throughout her pilgrimage of faith, we can say that Mary did not see his full glory, which must have represented a form of trial for her, "a particular heaviness of heart, linked with a sort of night of faith." (Redemptoris Mater 17)

The Transfiguration places Jesus in front of Moses and Elijah, to discuss Jesus’ own Exodus, that is, his death in Jerusalem. Even though she was not there that day on the Mount of the Transfiguration, Mary knew about the life and death of Moses and Elijah...

Since the Transfiguration is an important element that raises the question of the divine nature of Jesus, it is also an important element that impels us to venerate the Mother of Jesus, Mother of God. But it wasn’t until the resurrection of Jesus from the dead that the faith in his divinity was made clear and established.

Sister Françoise Breynaert

Theologian