THE GLORY OF THE TRINITY IN THE TRANSFIGURATION

VATICAN CITY, APR 26, 2000 (VIS) - Pope John Paul, in the catechesis of today's general audience in St. Peter's Square, which was bathed in sun and still decorated with the myriad flowers from Sunday's Easter Mass, focussed on the glory of the Trinity in the Transfiguration.

Before an estimated 30,000 pilgrims, the Pope remarked that "the liturgy of the Easter Octave joyfully proclaims that 'Jesus is truly risen'. In these words, the promise of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor is fulfilled. At that time, Jesus revealed His glory to the Apostles Peter, James and John. They heard the voice of God the Father saying 'This is my beloved Son', and saw Moses and Elijah, whose presence indicates that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, The brilliant light, the white clothing and the cloud all point to the divinity of Christ. The Father's command to listen to the Son means that the Son is filled with the Holy Spirit and that His words are 'spirit and life'."

"Vision and listening, contemplation and obedience," continued the Holy Father, "are therefore the paths which lead to the holy mount on which the Trinity is revealed in the glory of the Son. The Transfiguration offers us an anticipation of the glorious coming of Christ 'who will transform our poor body to conform it to His glorious body'. But it also reminds us that 'it is necessary to undergo many tribulations to enter into the Kingdom of God'."

The Pope's catechesis in Italian was then summarized in French, English, Portuguese, Spanish and German. He greeted pilgrims in those languages as well as in Lithuanian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovakian, Croatian and Slovenian.

John Paul II arrived by helicopter this morning from Castelgandolfo for the general audience. He is scheduled to return to the lakeside papal residence and remain there until Friday for a brief vacation.

AG;TRANSFIGURATION; TRINITY;...;...;VIS;20000426;Word: 320;