If you've ever had, or heard someone describe, a "mountaintop experience," that expression finds its roots in Matthew 17:1-9, the Gospel passage proclaimed on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. In this powerful moment, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, where His divine glory is revealed before them.
We refer to an uplifting or revelatory spiritual experience with God in this way because it is what Peter, James, and John experienced on Mt. Tabor when they saw Christ’s Divine glory radiating: His face shone like the sun, His clothes became dazzling white, and Moses and Elijah appeared beside Him.
And, then they hear: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” In that one powerful statement, Peter, James, and John were moved both spiritually and physically. In my own imagination, I hear the resonant voice of James Earl Jones speaking those words that we have just heard and which are no less powerful today.
On this summer day in August, we are invited to place ourselves alongside Peter, James, and John and to take in the reality of the Divinity of Jesus…. as we absorb the meaning of the Father’s instruction of Jesus’ Sonship and that we are to listen to Jesus.
You know, mountaintop experiences are meant to bring about change in us. Jesus is transfigured, meaning that His transfiguration is not a change in his being but rather a revelation of His Divine nature. For a brief moment, the veil covering His Divinity is lifted, and His disciples glimpse His heavenly glory before they must accompany Him to the Cavalry and the Cross.
Our Mt. Tabor experiences, whether on a retreat, at Mass, in Confession, or even on a hike in prayer, are also meant to offer us hope as we face disappointments and doubts.
And, it all begins with our Baptism, nourished by the Eucharist, and purified through our repentance and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, so that God gradually transforms us into the likeness of Christ.
St. Paul speaks of us as being changed through Christ from “glory to glory.” And it is a lifelong journey in which God reshapes our minds, hearts, and lives.
Coming back to the Father’s command…it is so simple and direct: “Listen to Him.” Listen to Jesus. In a world filled with endless opinions on everything, constant tech notifications and sounds, and competing voices and algorithms, the Father directs our attention to the one voice that can lead us to eternal life.
It takes intention and discipline strengthened by God’s grace, but Jesus’ voice is found in Sacred Scripture, in the teaching of the Church, in prayer, and in those quiet movements of grace within our hearts.
Having been moved by the Transfiguration experience, Peter understandably wanted to build tents and remain on the mountain. But Jesus leads the disciples back down the mountain into the “real world” where suffering, charitable works, and ultimately the Cross await.
Our moments of joy and spiritual consolation are gifts from God with a purpose. These Mt. Tabor moments are meant to strengthen us for the faithful discipleship.
May this feast renew our desire to listen more attentively to Christ by making time and space to hear Him each day, so that, day by day, His grace may transform us until, please God, one day we will forever share in the glory that He revealed on that holy mountain.