“Lord, it is good for us to be here”: the Monastery Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Milton

Article by Protopresbyter Vladimir Vranic

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133:1)

These words of the Holy Psalmist could perhaps best describe this year’s celebration of the patronal feast of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Milton. In an atmosphere of festive joy and prayerful reverence, hierarchs, clergy, and faithful of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Canada gathered around the Holy Table of the monastery church, together with dear brothers and guests from other dioceses of our Holy Church. At the fraternal invitation of the host, His Eminence Archbishop of Toronto and Metropolitan of Canada Mitrofan, the celebration was graced by the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan of Raska and Prizren Teodosije, as well as His Grace Bishop Irinej of Washington–New York and Eastern America, who are visiting the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Canada. Also with us were the Very Reverend Archimandrite Andrej (Sajc), Abbot of the Crna Reka Monastery, and the Very Reverend Protopresbyter Dr. Vasilije Vranic of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America, who graciously responded to the fraternal invitation and, by their presence, added to the joy of this year’s celebration. The Very Reverend Mitred Protopresbyter Thoma Bekurishvili of the Georgian Orthodox Church was also present in prayerful participation.

The festal Divine Hierarchical Liturgy was presided over by Metropolitan Teodosije, with the concelebration of the host, Metropolitan Mitrofan, and Bishop Irinej, together with a large number of priests. The clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Canada led the prayerful chanting, while the participation of the many faithful who came from across Ontario and Quebec filled the monastery church and the entire holy monastic community with the joy of the feast. The faithful spared neither effort nor time to make their way to this holy place on such a great feast, to gather for the Divine Liturgy, offer their prayers to the Lord, receive the Holy Mysteries, and find spiritual renewal in the communion of the Church.

The Transfiguration of the Lord is a feast which continually leads us back to Mount Tabor and reminds us of what is most important. In his festal homily, Bishop Irinej spoke of the mystery of the Transfiguration and of the light of Christ, expressing his great joy and gratitude for having received Metropolitan Mitrofan’s invitation to come and offer prayer together with us on this, as he called it, “Canadian Tabor.” Recalling the event on Mount Tabor, the Bishop spoke of the light which reveals Beauty and Divinity, but also of man, who is called to receive that light within himself. The bodily eyes behold what is around us, but that which lies beyond and above the visible can be perceived only by the eye of the human heart. That eye, therefore, must be awakened, so that the heart may become capable of recognizing the presence of God, and so that the light of Christ, which shone before the Apostles on Tabor, may also shine forth in our own lives.

Here we also discern the profound connection between the Transfiguration and the Holy Eucharist. We do not come to the Divine Liturgy merely to remember a great event of the past, but to encounter the living Christ and to become partakers of His life. Therefore, at the moment of Holy Communion, the Church sings: “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Christ, Who is the boundless God, assumed our human nature and became man, that we might become partakers of His grace. The Feast of the Transfiguration, therefore, is not merely a remembrance of the light that once shone upon a mountain in the Holy Land; rather, it reveals to us the path along which every Christian is called to walk from the purification of the heart and the life of faith, through the Holy Mysteries, toward the transfiguration of the whole of life.

Yet, the Apostles did not remain on Tabor. Having beheld the glory of the Lord, Peter said, “Lord, it is good for us to be here” (Mt. 17:4), but Christ knew that they had to descend from the mountain, for before Him lay the road to Golgotha. The light of Tabor is therefore not a light which separates us from life and from our crosses, but a light which gives us strength to pass through them with Christ. There are moments in our own lives when the Lord grants us peace, joy, and a profound sense of His nearness. We have our own Tabors, our feasts and holy moments in which we feel ourselves drawn closer to God. Yet after every Tabor, we must return to the ordinary circumstances of life, to our families, our responsibilities, and our crosses, carrying with us that which we have received upon the mountain. It is precisely there that it becomes evident whether the light of Christ has truly touched our hearts, as Bishop Irinej emphasized in his inspired homily.

In his words of welcome, the host of the celebration, Metropolitan Mitrofan, expressed his great joy that dear brother hierarchs, clergy, and faithful had gathered around this holy monastic community, extending a particular welcome to Metropolitan Teodosije and Bishop Irinej and expressing the hope that they would always return to this holy place with joy and depart from it spiritually strengthened and blessed. This fraternal gathering of hierarchs and clergy, together with the prayerful assembly of the faithful, gave this year’s celebration a particular beauty. At a time when man is so often exposed to all that draws him away from his fellow man, the feasts of the Church call us back to one another, gathering us around Christ as one body and one spiritual family.

A special honour was brought to this year’s celebration by the festal sponsors, Mr. Milan Novakovic, his wife Aleksandra, and their son Danilo, who accepted the honour of serving as the kumovi with love and devotion and, through their efforts, contributed greatly to the worthy celebration of the feast.

Following the Divine Liturgy, the festal gathering continued around a communal meal (table of love) in the beautiful summer pavilion, where the festal luncheon was lovingly prepared by the devoted members of the “Empress Jelena” Circle of Serbian Sisters of Oakville. Their labour and sisterly love were joined by Rev. Petar Marjanovic, Sister Paraskeva, as well as by the clergy and faithful who, each in his or her own way and according to their abilities, contributed to the preparation and organization of this year’s celebration. To all of them we extend our sincere gratitude for their labour, goodwill, and love with which they served the holy monastery and helped make this great feast a celebration worthy of its sacred character and joyful spirit. May the Lord receive their labour as a good and blessed offering and reward them with His grace and every good thing.

And so, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Milton unfolded in that which the feast most deeply asks of us: prayer, joy, fraternal encounter, love, and communion. From the Divine Liturgy to the festal table of love, from the tender singing to conversation with brothers and sisters, everything was permeated by the joy of the feast. Perhaps this is precisely why the words of the Apostle Peter on Tabor continue so naturally to resound after such a day: “Lord, it is good for us to be here.” It was good for us to be here, because we were together, because we prayed together, and because we were gathered around Christ.

And now, as the festivity draws to a close and each of us returns to our home, we are left to carry with us that which we received upon Tabor. We cannot all remain upon the mountain; we must return to our homes and to the ordinary circumstances of our lives. Yet we can carry the light with us and allow it to be seen in our lives, in our families, in our relationships with others, and in every encounter we have. For the Lord says: “You are the light of the world” (Mt. 5:14). And the Holy Apostle Paul reminds us that the God “Who commanded light to shine out of darkness” is the same One Who “has shone in our hearts” (2 Cor. 4:6).

May that light of Christ, which today so joyfully illumined the Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Lord, remain in the hearts of all who gathered here. May it illumine our homes, our families, and our children; may it preserve us in faith and love; and may it continually gather us around our holy places. And when the days come in which we must descend from our own Tabors and take up our crosses, may we never forget the light we have seen upon them, for it leads us toward Christ and reminds us that after Golgotha comes the Resurrection.

May the Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Lord have a blessed and God-protected feast! Christ is Transfigured — among us!

Other photos of the celebration of the monastery's patronal feast can be seen HERE.