Press release II

He who in past times had spoken with Moses on Mount Sinai, is presently transfigured on Mount Tabor, showing how in Him human nature acquired once again the archetypal beauty of the image (Troparion of the Great Vespers of the Transfiguration)

Monastery of Bose, 15 September 2007

Transfiguration of Christ, transfiguration of man

The Transfiguration of Christ is an anticipation of the resurrection, and a prophecy of the transfiguration of all flesh in God. It is the Eastern Church, more than anyone else, that has been able to safeguard and recount this mystery in its ascetic tradition and liturgical life.

“The Transfiguration occupies a central position in the life of our Church”, Ecumenical patriarch Bartholomeos writes in his message to the Conference, “ and its spiritual exploration can be decisive for understanding the truths of our faith and for the spiritual path of each believer towards God”. His words fully echo the message of Alexios II, Patriarch of Moscow: “In the Orthodox Church, the subject of the Transfiguration and the concommitant idea of deification…occupies a position of particular importance. The Transfiguration reveals the divine mystery of what mankind and the world around us are invited to become”.