“Jesus took Peter, James and his brother John off by themselves and led them up a high mountain.” This transfiguration account appears just after Jesus has reminded the disciples, “Whoever loses your life for My sake, and the gospel – will save your life. Then Jesus lets these remarks soak in and take root for six days before he sets off up the mountain with Peter, James and John in tow.
The story (I believe) calls each one of us to examine what mountains we must climb to see God’s glory. We could apply the story to death or a near-death experience, but if we do that, we miss the everyday mountains that we must scale. Call those mountains what you will, we must climb them to witness God’s glory: hurdles, challenges, enticing temptations, near occasions of sin, quirks of personality, Lenten resolutions, pet peeves…. Some days they are like a little pebble on our path. Or, they can be like a grain of sand inside your shoe. Other days, they are like boulders for which we need a backhoe to lever them inch by inch. Everyone’s mountain is different. But, to witness God’s glory, we must each climb our own “mountains”.
As we become aware that we are nearing a mountaintop, we must relax and rest, and keep our eyes open to see God’s glory. We must stay alert, careful not to misread the signs; have the insight to know that we are at the top. We gaze on the God of the Revelation. In awe we may wonder: Why did God choose me? Why does God love me so much?
What causes you to miss the “small miracles”, the “everyday transfigurations”, the “Emmaus” moments along the path to Life? Gently remind yourself, that Jesus and the disciples also went back down the mountain. Thank God when you get to top and do not be distracted with worry over “what’s going to happen next?”
Jesus did not become “more God” that day on the mountain. I don’t think the change was so much in Jesus, as it was in the disciples. They were ready. They had climbed the mountain. And their eyes were open to witness the miracle of the moment. What are the miracles of the moments of your life?
When you have had a “mountaintop experience” you don’t forget it! When the veil was removed from your eyes and you beheld Jesus as He really is, you can recall every detail of the moment. Maybe it was while you were on retreat, or a day of recollection, during adoration or Stations of the Cross, or out of the blue. Maybe it was in the privacy of your own room or in a crowd. Maybe it happens at the Consecration of the Mass or when you look across the dining table or at a confrere across the aisle in chapel.
God is already there; is right here NOW. Jesus invites us up the mountain and leads the way. We must open our awareness to witness the transfiguration. God reveals the Son little by little to those who take the time and interest to stay with Him. When we follow His lead, stay with the experience, do what it takes to build our relationship, foster life with the Other; in essence we live out our vow of stability.
~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB
Have a good week.
