Something about this celebration of the "Transfiguration" of Jesus always gets to me.  It is such a vivid clarion call to recognize the glory of God revealed uniquely in the person of Jesus, especially as he begins the New Exodus (His Passover) which will be accomplished on the Cross in Jerusalem.  Luke's Gospel is most explicit about this: the passage (journey) of Jesus from suffering through death to resurrection now replaces or fulfills the one in which Moses lead God's people from slavery to liberation, from Egypt to the Promised Land.
 
How does one reflect upon an epiphany, a blinding revelation, an event of total transformation without losing its facticity, its actuality, its existential reality?  Once again, that master of prayer and living the spiritual life, St. Ignatius of Loyola, serves us well.  He reminds us that events in the life of Jesus, such as this one, are meant to be experienced and contemplated and not just mulled over and examined.  It is important that we enter into the mystery itself!  He recommends that, after we read the passage carefully and  create a mental representation of the place where it occurs, and ask for the intimate knowledge of Jesus that we desire,  we actually, in our imaginations, enter the scene itself: see the persons, listen to what they say, and consider carefully what they do.  Especially focus on Jesus.   Try to picture the dazzling transformation, like lightning,  that takes place on his countenance and his clothing.  Hear that majestic and powerful voice thunder from heaven: "This is my beloved, my chosen Son; listen to Him." Then reflect on what He is about to do as He sets His face toward Jerusalem to become "the Saving Victim that opens the gates of heaven to man below."  Allow your heart to be touched by the magnanimity and splendor of the heart of Jesus and the plan of God.
 
The second reading, which remembers and recounts this event in words ascribed to Peter, reminds us that we are confronted with a fully reliable prophetic message, as certain as the dawn: "You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."  We can each examine ourselves on this advice, asking ourselves:  How much attention do I give each day to the mysteries of faith?  What keeps me from being consoled and transformed by them?
 
Finally,  let's urge ourselves  to recognize our own destiny and the future of humanity as it is so brilliantly depicted in the first reading.  Our God is a blazing fire, and the purification that comes from approaching the glory of God will utterly transfigure us too, so that we may go with Jesus on his journey of love,  and with him (in his company), "pass over" to true and everlasting joy, to a heavenly kingdom that will never be taken away from us or destroyed. Now is the time to "ask and receive that your joy may be full" and never taken away!  The glory of the Lord will be revealed!