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# Metr. Saba: Transfiguration Reveals Humanity's True Glory
- URL: https://uoj.news/news/metr-saba-transfiguration-reveals-humanitys-true-glory/
- Published: 2026-08-06T12:16:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-25T16:07:04.000Z
- Description: The glory revealed on Mount Tabor points beyond earthly honor to the eternal transformation found through Christ's cross.
- Author: Tobias Straney
- Tags: #Category: News, Feast day, Metropolitan Saba (Isper), Antiochian Archdiocese of North America, Pastoral Epistle

**ENGLEWOOD, NJ —** Metr. Saba describes the Feast of the Transfiguration as a celebration of humanity's ultimate calling: [sharing in the divine glory](https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/1694) for which mankind was created. He writes that the feast reveals not only Christ's glory, but also the restored beauty and holiness God intends for every person.

According to Metr. Saba, humanity's desire for glory reflects a God-given longing that cannot be satisfied by worldly success, recognition, or power. He distinguishes between temporary earthly glory and the eternal glory promised through union with God, emphasizing that true fulfillment comes only through holiness. Citing numerous passages from Scripture, he argues that Christ's Transfiguration points believers toward the inheritance prepared for the saints rather than the fleeting honors of this world.

[![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/07/teen-soyo-celebrates-45-years-of-special-olympics-camp-image-f4f1aad55571.jpg)On this topicMetr. Saba Encourages Teen SOYO During Midsummer Meetings](https://uoj.news/news/metr-saba-encourages-teen-soyo-during-midsummer-meetings/)

The Metropolitan also underscores the inseparable connection between the Transfiguration and Christ's Passion. He notes that Moses and Elijah spoke with Christ about His coming "exodus" in Jerusalem, referring to His voluntary death on the cross. The Church's liturgical calendar reinforces this relationship by placing the Feast of the Transfiguration 40 days before the Feast of the Cross, illustrating that divine glory is revealed through sacrificial love and self-denial rather than worldly triumph.

Reflecting on the Gospel account, Metr. Saba explains that Peter, James, and John witnessed Christ's glory only to the extent they were spiritually prepared to receive it. He says the event strengthened the disciples before the Crucifixion while foreshadowing the transformation awaiting believers in God's kingdom. The Transfiguration, he writes, reveals humanity's original beauty restored through Christ and offers hope that those who embrace the cross will ultimately share in His eternal glory.

> Earthly glory is by definition passing, a mirage of the life to come and a cause of perdition. But the promised glory—the glory of man's transfiguration in God's light—is the perfection of the image with the divine likeness, the lasting and original glory, the reason for the creation of man.

Previously, the [UOJ reported](https://uoj.news/news/metr-saba-visits-pittsburgh-ministry-serving-the-vulnerable/) that Metr. Saba visited a Pittsburgh ministry serving the vulnerable.