Last Sunday after the Epiphany A (Matthew 17:1-9)

Are there people who make you shine when you’re with them? You don’t have to do anything special to shine—just being around them seems to bring out your light. Who are those people for you? For some, they might be parents, siblings, friends, or even certain objects—like a quilt, a painting, or a poem. It’s a curious question, perhaps even a little odd, but it helps us reflect on who makes us shine—and for whom we become a source of light.

In today’s gospel, Jesus stands in the company of Moses and Elijah. Their presence illuminates him; he is transfigured in their midst. Their role is not to draw attention to themselves, but to let their presence and love reveal Jesus' glory.

Who makes you feel like that—radiant, alive, and luminous just by being near them? By “shining,” I don’t mean literally glowing like a diamond or porcelain. I mean the experience of being fully seen, heard, and understood. When that happens, it feels as if we step into a light that reveals who we really are. It’s as though their gaze transfigures us.

This kind of shining often begins in childhood when parents or caregivers truly see and delight in us. Later, we may experience it in friendship or love. Every form of genuine love—parental, romantic, or fraternal—holds the same dynamic: we are recognized, embraced, and made visible to one another. To shine in someone’s eyes is to be transfigured by their loving gaze, even with all our imperfections and fragility.

In that moment, we become the main character in our own lives, standing at the center of the world as we perceive and interpret it. Yet, as the transfiguration story shows, the mountaintop is not the destination. After being transfigured before Moses and Elijah, Jesus does not remain in the glory of that light. He descends. His vocation is not simply to bask in brightness, but to help others shine. He gives his life so that others may be illuminated by the light of resurrection.

When we gather as the church, this mystery continues. In the Eucharist, we are transfigured—bread and wine, body and spirit, consecrated together. In this act, we make one another shine. I see your light when we worship together, just as you help me radiate mine. Through the Holy Spirit, our communion transforms us so that we, too, may step down from the mountaintop—to be light for others, for our community, and for the world.