During the weekly meeting with Brother Matthew in the Church of Reconciliation, one of the volunteers shared her reflection on the Transfiguration.
Good evening everyone. My name is Minu, and I’m from Kerala, in the southern part of India. I belong to the Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church. I’m a lawyer, and I currently work with the government in designing public projects and campaigns that are run by the volunteers.
Our work is deeply rooted in people. We mobilize and train volunteers, equipping them with the skills they need to serve communities. Together, we conduct awareness programs and trainings across Kerala—on disaster management, anti-drug awareness, palliative care and so on.
In partnership with UNICEF, we train local people into community leaders to build resilience in the face of climate change. Our disaster management efforts has helped save lives in regions often struck by floods and landslides.
One of our most beautiful efforts is THRIVE—a project run by college students who work with children in tribal schools. Every weekend, they bring creative education modules—based on games, storytelling, art, and discovery. Over the years, we’ve seen these children rise—dreaming bigger, speaking louder, aiming higher. Many now want to become filmmakers, doctors, engineers, and artists. They begin to see themselves in a new light.
And it is here that I think of the Transfiguration of Jesus. When Jesus was transfigured before His disciples on the mountain, His divine nature shone through the ordinary. And those with Him saw not just who He was, but who He truly is.
This is the vision I carry into my work. Because I have seen transfigurations—not on mountaintops, but in tribal classrooms, in flooded villages, in quiet workshops. I have seen ordinary young people step forward and shine—becoming lights in their communities. I have seen children who once whispered now speak with hope. I have seen dignity unfold, leadership arise, dreams awaken.
That is what transfiguration means to me: a glimpse of the divine in the human. The holy breaking through the everyday. This is my story. And in every part of it, I see the story of a God who still transfigures lives. Thank you.