The celebration of the Transfiguration in mid-February 2026, which coincided with Black Heritage Month, offers a powerful message that challenges us to affirm our common identity as children of God.
The significance of the Transfiguration begins with Moses receiving God’s law. When Moses encountered God, his face shone with God’s glory, so that he had to veil his face in front of the Israelites. During the Transfiguration, in plain sight of his disciples, Jesus appeared alongside Moses, who received the law, and Elijah, representing the prophets. As Moses and Elijah faded, Jesus alone remained. God then affirmed Jesus’ divine mission, which is to fulfill prophecy and, more importantly, to fulfill the intent of the law, which is love.
The Role and Limitations of Law
Religious and secular laws are essential, defining right and wrong. The Transfiguration calls us to let love lead us to act beyond mere legal requirements, a lesson particularly relevant during Black Heritage Month. A significant part of Black Canadian history is rooted in the struggle for civil rights and the establishment of anti-discriminatory laws. Through their advocacy against injustice and demand for equality, Black Canadians have contributed to a robust framework of constitutional rights that benefits all Canadians.
Despite the enactment of anti-discriminatory laws, racial discrimination persists. Visible minorities continue to experience the persistent fear of racial profiling, systemic racism, and challenging encounters with law enforcement. This reality prompts us to ask why, despite these laws, our society continues to wrestle with racism—the very issue these laws aim to resolve.
The Power of Love Over Law
There are two key reasons for this ongoing struggle. First, love cannot be legislated or mandated. Second, individuals may follow the letter of the law while hiding behind veils of political correctness and indifference toward the impacts of racism on minorities.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus grounded his teachings in love, which motivates us to act for the greatest good, for ourselves and others. There is no law against love. The Transfiguration vividly depicts love, embodied in Jesus, rising above the constraints of the law and removing the veil that distorts our relationship with God and our interactions with others. The Transfiguration invites us to examine our motives and intentionally go beyond the limitations of anti-discriminatory laws in Canada.
Transformation and Our Shared Identity
Going beyond the limits of the law is possible through our personal and collective transformation into the image and likeness of God, who, in Jesus Christ, is love personified. In his letter to the diverse church in Corinth, Paul explains the importance of removing the veil of legalism to embrace our shared identity in Christ. He writes, “… when (we turn) … to the Lord, the veil is removed. … And all of us, with unveiled faces, … are being transformed into the same image, …for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:12-18.)
As God’s children, love is our common identity and heritage. Jesus says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 3:35.)
Black Heritage Month: Learning, Honouring, and Transforming
Black Heritage Month presents an opportunity for us to discern the steps that God is calling us to build a better world where love surpasses the rule of law.
Established in 1926, Black Heritage Month aims to share the history of people of Black African slave descent in North America and the Caribbean. Their stories of survival and their outstanding contributions in all areas of society remain largely absent from mainstream history books—a reality that explains the persistent negative stereotyping of Black people and underscores the continued need for Black Heritage Month.
The Church’s Role in Black Heritage Month
The Church needs Black Heritage Month. In times past, the Anglican Church in Canada perpetuated racist beliefs, relegating Black Anglicans to segregated, veiled worship behind curtains, denying them sacraments and leadership opportunities, ultimately forcing them to form ethnic enclave congregations.
Today, ethnic enclave congregations are a lingering legacy of past practices of segregation and marginalization. However, there is hope in the work being done in the Diocese of Montreal to address these issues. In 2020, a diverse group of clergy and laypeople met to discuss ways to address the legacy of racism in the Church. Their efforts led to a motion at the 161st Synod for the adoption of the Anti-Black Racism Action Plan.
The Action Plan calls for the acknowledgment of racism within the Diocese and the active engagement of congregations in ongoing dialogue, redress, and atonement. The Plan aims to provide clergy and parishioners with the awareness and skills needed to foster vibrant, multicultural, and multi-ethnic parishes that support the spiritual growth of all God’s people.
Next Steps and Recommendations
Beyond the Action Plan, congregations in the Diocese should consider the following actions:
• Advocate for a day in the Anglican Calendar to honour the pioneering work and ministry of Black Anglicans in Nova Scotia who persevered in faith despite racism, paving the way for the Anglican Church in Canada to “acknowledge that God is calling us to greater diversity of membership, wider participation in ministry and leadership… and a stronger resolve in challenging attitudes and structures that cause injustice” in its Mission statement. It is time to honour these Black Anglican pioneers.
• Foster multi-ethnic collaboration to prevent the formation of ethnic enclave congregations and special interest groups that operate on the margins of the Church. There will always be occasions for groups to gather by shared identity. However, members of these groups should be heard, feel safe, and be embraced at the heart of a diverse and flourishing Church, not on its margins.
• Above all, create safe spaces for bridge-building, where the status quo can be questioned and challenged. This requires courage and commitment. Bible studies and book studies should help us confront difficult truths, leading us to acknowledge and release ourselves from stereotypes and self-deception. Our prayer and meditation guide us to embrace the peace that comes from following Jesus’s guiding principle of love.
