And he was transfigured before them - (Mk 9:2-10)
Ascending a mountain, staying on it, has a deep meaning in the Gospels. Jesus ascends the Mount of Beatitudes, Mount Tabor, Mount Olives, Mount Calvary. While Yahweh, a distant God and inaccessible to a simple Israelite, descends on Mount Sinai, on the mountains that Jesus chooses, God - Man, to whom everyone can approach, appears. The mountains that Jesus ascends are not inaccessible peaks, but an open space to which he invites all those thirsty for love and truth.
The spiritual life is to follow Jesus faithfully to all the mountains where he himself stayed; not only to the mountain of Transfiguration, but also to the mountain of inner struggle (Olives) and the mountain of torment and suffering (Calvary). To follow Jesus is to follow the Master faithfully - in times of joy, suffering, toil and glory.
On Mount Tabor, Jesus was transformed in the presence of the disciples. His outward appearance is a symbol of what was going on inside of Him; closeness and total relationship with the Father. Similarly, Moses' face radiated at Sinai as he talked to God (see Exodus 34: 29-30). The dazzling white garments of Jesus, on the other hand, are the radiance of the divine. Everything in him is bright, pure, luminous, reveals the beauty and light of God. St. Luke emphasizes that the transformation took place in prayer. Prayer transforms. Thanks to it, everything can become clear, transparent, clean ... then there is no need for masks or illusions. The truth about our weakness remains, but also the truth about our greatness is shown. We can feel that we are "the glory of God" (Saint Irenaeus).
Jesus was transfigured on Mount Tabor in the presence of Moses and Elijah. According to the Jewish tradition, Elijah never died (he was taken alive to heaven), while God buried Moses himself in an unknown place on Mount Nebo. Both were to appear in the messianic times, foreshadowing the near end of the world.
The presence of the men of God causes ambivalent feelings in the Apostles. On the one hand, there is a spiritual fascination. It is expressed by Peter, who wants to remember this moment and build three tents for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Peter's proposal refers to the presence of God in the Tent of Meeting in the time of Moses. It does, however, contain a misunderstanding. Three tents mean "three houses" for three teachers. In this way he equates Jesus with Elijah and Moses (K. Berger). God the Father corrects Peter's thinking; He points to Jesus as the Messiah, the only Son of God, the true teacher of divinity, and calls us to obey him: "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Elijah and Moses, like the disciples, only are servants.
On the other hand, the disciples show anxiety, fear, awareness of Jesus' deity and distance, which separates the disciples from Him. The ambivalent feelings of the disciples are the result of a mystical encounter with the mystery of God's holiness and greatness, and on the other hand, an experience of His closeness which breeds friendship: “You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.” (cf. Jn 15: 14-15).
Our life is the way. We are not ready, but we are becoming. And we will become what we choose for ourselves through specific life situation. The Father's exhortation: Listen to him, shows us clearly the way. It is not any strict rules and principles, no matter how sublime they are, but only trust in Jesus. It is a path of faith in which we gradually discover the fullness of God's love and let ourselves be drawn by it. Discovering an intimate relationship with Jesus as Guide on our way is essential in life. Without this discovery and following Him, it is impossible to come to the full life that was revealed in Him
Only trust creates an internal relationship with God. If God revealed himself to everyone, just as he revealed himself in Tabor, our relationship with him would be an external bond, because he revealed himself externally. The revelation of love touches the heart to the end and therefore attracts everyone from inside. However, you must discover it and trust it. In response to such a revelation, there is an inner fascination and a desire to adhere not only to the person itself, but also to love and its requirements. And this is what God wants for us, that we live the same dynamics that He lives and then we will still hear these wonderful words: You are my beloved Son, You are my beloved Daughter.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george