First Reading (Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18). We learn of the solemn covenant God made with Abraham which was the foundation of God’s relationship with the people of Israel. Through Christ we are the heirs to this covenant.
Second Reading (Philippians 3:17-41). Paul urges his converts to remain faithful to Christ, and promises them that one day they will share in his glory.
Gospel (Luke 9:28-36). We hear Luke’s version of the transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor.
The chief significance of the Tabor experience was for Jesus himself, and this is what Luke emphasises.
The incident was meant to confirm him in the course he had taken.
It comforted him to know that he travelled in the footsteps of the great law giver Moses and the great prophet Elijah. The transfiguration also benefited the apostles. It prepared them for the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah.