By Celina Roybal, alumnus of the St. Joseph Worker Program of Orange, California

In today’s Gospel, the mountain is a place of prayer outside of the everyday world where a luminescent encounter with God takes place.  It is high up on this mountain where the face of Jesus “shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.” Savoring the grace of this experience, Peter says, “It is good that we are here.” Then the disciples became fearful at the sound of a voice saying “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid and they come down from the mountain. 

I have always admired the night sky and the moon. I have often found myself in awe as I gaze at the light of the moon, especially a full moon. The moon lights up because its surface reflects the light from the sun like a mirror. In our quest to follow Jesus more closely, we must be like the moon by serving as a mirror reflecting the light onto the Earth…Christ’s light. 

Working as an Education Assistant, I was often challenged with motivating disadvantaged young adults to study and perform well academically. I sometimes questioned if I was serving as a reflection of Christ’s light when working with specific young adults who exhibited more struggles than others. Sometimes it felt as if my efforts were not making a difference, but observing the light in their eyes as they became excited about learning spoke otherwise. The light in the faces of those around me was a reminder that Christ’s light was indeed shining brightly through my service. In prayer and service I was often invited to have my own transfiguration. As we show love for God and our neighbor, personal transfigurations occur when we mirror God in our daily lives in good works and faith. Like the moon, be a reflection of Christ’s face shining on us like the sun this Transfiguration Sunday!

Prayer: 

God of Light, As we continue our Lenten journey together, we thank You for the gifts of encounter on the mountaintop with You. Thank You for inviting us to our own transfigurations with the divine light of Your face. Help us to be aware of the radiance You bring into our daily lives so that we may be a reflection like the moon.  Let our faith and good works light a new light in the hearts of our community and those we serve. Amen.

Forty Days with the Four Pillars of Faith-Based Service: This reflection is part of our annual Lenten Reflection Guide, a collection of reflections written by current and former volunteers. We are pleased to offer this resource through our partnership with the Catholic Apostolate Center. 

To download the Lenten Reflection Guide, please click here. 





About the Author: Celina Roybal grew up in the rural community of Medanales, New Mexico just north of Santa Fe. In 2015-2016, she served as a St. Joseph Worker of Orange as an Education Assistant at Taller San Jose Hope Builders in California. She currently teaches Physical Education at Abiquiu Elementary School and Hernandez Elementary School in New Mexico. Her favorite books are My Sisters the Saints by Colleen Campbell and Sum It Up by Pat Summitt.Celina enjoys the outdoors, playing and coaching sports, and cheering on the Denver Broncos.