A homily on Luke 9:29 : Transfiguration, When the Face Changes in Prayer ( 6-8-25)

 A touching homily on Luke 9:29 that shows how silent prayer transforms us more than any miracle. (6-8-25)

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

There was once a little white cloud high in the sky. It had no shape, no voice, and no direction. The other clouds laughed at it. “You are too small, too simple,” they said. The little cloud did not fight back. It only drifted in the sky, quietly watching the earth. One day, it passed over a dry and thirsty land. It saw children playing on cracked ground, mothers walking miles for water, and old people resting under withered trees.

Moved with deep love, the cloud looked up to the sun and whispered a prayer. “I want to give something,” it said. That simple prayer reached the heavens. Slowly, the sun smiled, the wind grew gentle, and the cloud began to change. It became heavier, darker, not with anger but with grace. Then, drop by drop, it poured itself out over the thirsty earth. The land was refreshed, the people danced, and the trees opened their arms again. But the cloud was no longer seen. It had given itself in prayer.

St. Luke says, “As he was praying, the appearance of his face was changed” (Luke 9:29). Not when Jesus worked miracles, not when He preached, but when He prayed. It was in prayer that the cloud of God’s presence descended. It was in prayer that His glory was revealed. His face did not shine with pride, but with the peace and beauty of one who rests in the Father’s love.

We spend so much energy trying to change others; our children, our families, our communities. But the Gospel invites us to begin with ourselves. When Jesus prayed, He did not ask for power or comfort. He opened His heart to the Father, and that communion changed even His face.Do you know that when Moses spoke with God, his face also became radiant? The people could not even look at him. That is the power of prayer.

Saint Camillus de Lellis, once a soldier and gambler, lived a wild and sinful life. He was rough and careless, until sickness brought him to a hospital where he saw suffering up close. That experience, followed by silent prayer and a deep encounter with Christ, changed him completely. The man who once destroyed himself now cared for the sick with tenderness. People said his face shone when he bent over the beds of the poor. What changed him? Not a long lecture, not punishment, but prayer.

Sometimes in our homes, we get tired. Faces become serious, voices become loud, and love gets buried under daily problems. But if we pray, really pray, something begins to change. Be sure that this change takes place not only in us but around us. A calm face brings calm. And a prayerful heart carries peace like a cloud carries rain.

When Peter saw Jesus shining in prayer, he said, “Master, it is good that we are here.” When prayer is real, even the noisy heart finds silence. And even the troubled soul finds rest. Let us try to be like the little cloud. Let us carry prayer silently and pour it out gently. It will not make us famous, but it will change our face and heart and it will refresh the persons with whom we live. And one day, they may quietly say, “How good it is to live with you.”

Lord, let me deeply experience You, that a real transformation may take place in me.

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