The Transfiguration, then and now, is a shining mountaintop experience amid scenes of violence and suffering.

On this day, August 6th, 1945, humans unleashed a power so deadly that we’ve spent decades trying to prevent its use in warfare again. Here’s how President Harry S. Truman described the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan in a press release sent out 16 hours after the attack: “It is an atomic bomb. It is a harnessing of the basic power of the universe. The force from which the sun draws its power has been loosed...” Jesus, too, harnessed the power of the universe, but His energy was used to bring light and life.

Let’s remember to pray for our enemies today, and call on God’s power to help us transfigure hatred into love.

“Jesus was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun.”