The Past is Already Written

Both Roman and Eastern rite Catholics celebrate the Church's Feast of the Transfiguration today on its traditional date for both calendars.

The feast commemorates one of the pinnacles of Jesus' earthly life, when he revealed his divinity to three of his closest disciples by means of a miraculous and supernatural light.

Before his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ climbed to a high point on Mount Tabor with his disciples Peter, James, and John.

While Jesus prayed upon the mountain, his appearance was changed by a brilliant white light, which shone from him and from his clothing.

During this event, the Old Testament figures of Moses and the prophet Elijah also appeared, and spoke of how Christ would suffer and die after entering Jerusalem, before his resurrection.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record that the voice of God was heard, confirming Jesus as his son (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:6, Luke 9:35).

Peter and John make specific reference to the event in their writings, as confirming Jesus' divinity and his status as the Messiah (2 Peter 1:17, John 1:14).

In his address before the Angelus on 6 August 2006, Pope Benedict XVI described how the events of the transfiguration display Christ as the “full manifestation of God's light.”

This light, which shines forth from Christ both at the transfiguration and after his resurrection, is ultimately triumphant over “the power of the darkness of evil.”

The Pope stressed that the Feast of the Transfiguration is an important opportunity for believers to look to Christ as “the light of the world” and to experience the kind of conversion, which the Bible frequently describes as an emergence from darkness to light.

“In our time too,” Pope Benedict said, “we urgently need to emerge from the darkness of evil, to experience the joy of the children of light!”

For Eastern Catholics, the Feast of the Transfiguration is especially significant. It is among the 12 “great feasts” of Eastern Catholicism.

Eastern Christianity emphasizes that Christ's transfiguration is the prototype of spiritual illumination, which is possible for the committed disciple of Jesus.

This Christian form of “enlightenment” is  facilitated by the ascetic disciplines of prayer, fasting, and charitable almsgiving.

A revered hierarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, the late Archbishop Joseph Raya, described this traditional Byzantine view of the transfiguration in his book of meditations on the Biblical event and its liturgical celebration, titled “Transfiguration of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

—

Trdelník, often called chimney cake, is a popular sweet spit cake made from rolled dough wrapped around a stick, roasted over an open flame or grill, and coated with sugar, cinnamon, or crushed walnuts.

•

On August 5, the Church celebrates Our Lady of the Snows at Rome’s Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the West’s foremost Marian shrine.

Tradition recalls that in 352, the Virgin Mary appeared to a wealthy Roman couple, directing them to build a church where snow would miraculously fall on the Esquiline Hill.

Pope Liberius witnessed the sign, and the present basilica was later dedicated on this date after the Council of Ephesus proclaimed Mary Theotokos — Mother of God.

Today, white rose petals recall the miracle, and pilgrims continue to honor Mary under the beloved icon Salus Populi Romani.

🎥: Jacob Stein | @cruxstationalis

On August 5, the Church celebrates the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, commemorating the Miracle of Our Lady of the Snows.

According to ancient tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to the Roman nobleman John and to Pope Liberius, asking that a church be built in her honor where snow would fall.

Though it was the height of summer, fresh snow covered the summit of Rome's Esquiline Hill on August 5.

The Pope is said to have traced the outline of the future church in the snow, and a basilica was erected on the site.

The present Basilica of St. Mary Major, rebuilt under Pope Sixtus III after the Council of Ephesus proclaimed Mary as Mother of God in 431, remains one of the most important Marian shrines in the world.

Each year on August 5, white flower petals fall from the basilica's ceiling, recalling the miraculous snowfall and honoring Our Lady's maternal care for the faithful.

Today marks the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, known in older versions of the Roman liturgical calendar as the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Snows, or simply as Our Lady of the Snows.

The miracle, which inspired the construction of the papal Marian basilica, involved a miraculous snowfall in Rome on August 5 in the year 358.

The name came from the ancient legend that during the pontificate of Liberius, a Roman patrician named John and his wife had no heirs.

As a result, they vowed to give all their possessions to the Virgin Mary and prayed that she would show them how to dispense of their treasures.

Then, on the night of 5 August 358, in the middle of the hot Roman summer, snow fell on the summit of the city's Esquiline hill.

In obedience to a vision of Mary the couple had that night, they built a basilica in the same spot that the snow fell.

In honor of the special day, a shower of white flowers is dropped from the ceiling of the Basilica, now known as Saint Mary Major, to commemorate the "Miracle of the Snow" in 358.

Among the four major papal basilicas in Rome, St. Mary Major is the only one that maintained its original structure.

•

George Alexander Louis

Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

On August 4, the Church celebrates the feast day of St. John Mary Vianney, patron of priests. 

John Vianney, also known as the Holy Curé de Ars, was born to a family of farmers on 8 May 1786 in Dardilly, near Lyon, France.

He was ordained a priest in 1815 and became curate in Ecully. He was then sent to the remote French community of Ars in 1818 to be a parish priest.

Upon his arrival, the priest immediately began praying and working for the conversion of his parishioners.

Although he saw himself as unworthy of his mission as pastor, he allowed himself to be consumed by the love of God as he served the people. 

Vianney slowly helped to revive the community’s faith through both his prayers and the witness of his lifestyle.

He gave powerful homilies on the mercy and love of God, and it is said that even staunch sinners were converted upon hearing him. 

In addition, he restored his church, formed an orphanage, “La Providence,” and cared for the poor.

His reputation as a confessor grew rapidly, and pilgrims traveled from all over France to come to him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 

Firmly committed to the conversion of the people, he would spend up to 16 hours a day in the confessional.

Plagued by many trials and besieged by the devil, John Vianney remained firm in his faith and lived a life of devotion to God. 

Dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament, he spent much time in prayer and practiced much mortification.

He lived on little food and sleep, while working without rest in unfailing humility, gentleness, patience, and cheerfulness, until he was well into his 70s.

John Vianney died on 4 August 1859.

Over 1,000 people attended his funeral, including the bishop and priests of the diocese, who already viewed his life as a model of priestly holiness.

He was beatified by Pope Pius X on 8 January 1905 and was canonized by Pope Pius XI on 31 May 1925.

Over 450,000 pilgrims travel to Ars every year in remembrance of his holy life.

In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI, commemorating the 150th anniversary of St. John Vianney’s death, declared the Year for Priests.