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Each year, the church celebrates on August 6 the Transfiguration Feast. Forty days before his crucifixion, Jesus picked three of his closest disciples, namely Peter, James and John, and led them up to a high mountain to pray. On the mountaintop, Jesus’ appearance started changing, as a brilliant while light shone from his face and his garments.
In the Greek language, and as mentioned in the Gospels, the word “transfiguration” means “what is beyond form.” The mountain chosen by Jesus for the Transfiguration was Jabal al-Sheikh, located on the eastern slopes of Lebanon’s mountain range and known as Mount Hermon.
Jesus chose Lebanon for the Transfiguration as a land that would become the first place to witness his resurrection before the final confirmation on the cross. He wanted Lebanon to become the most important message He would send to humanity, affirming that He is the incorporeal God.
On the day of His transfiguration, Christ told his disciples, “Arise, do not be scared.” This is when, every time Lebanon falls into the hands of evil, it rises again to bear witness to its transfiguration and divine power, which are stronger than any force or pressure and more powerful than any universal evil.
On August 4, 2020, the forces of evil strived to smother Lebanon and turn its Transfiguration light into darkness and fire. However, the will to live that lies within the believers of Transfiguration and Resurrection is stronger than all the universal demons put together. Those who witnessed the light of the Transfiguration are not scared of darkness, and those who witnessed the Transfiguration are neither weakened by challenges nor frightened by demons. Deep within each one of us, every August 6 makes us stronger than any Satan behind August 4. We are the children of resurrection and hope, not those of death and despair!
To the forces of evil that targeted Lebanon on that August 4, we say, “We are beyond form.” We are over and above destroyed houses, collapsed structures and dead bodies. For every August 4, there is an August 6, for every darkness there is light and for every destroyed city, there is an act of “transfiguration” that is “beyond form.” And after every crucifixion comes resurrection, as Lebanon remains stronger than any evil. God chose to make this country a beacon of hope, struggle and resilience for the entire world. Lebanon is holier than any profanity!
