Go up in prayer, but you must go down to practice it

Good morning, happy Thursday, and many blessings.

Mystery marks this transfiguration scene (Matthew 17:1-9). Jesus is transfigured. Moses and Elijah appear and then strangely disappear. Peter is perplexed. James and John are anonymous. The disciples are overcome with admiration. Jesus tells them to say nothing about what has happened! Mystery and divine presence are pervasive.

Many questions come to my mind when I read this story. For example: Is the transfiguration story a story to teach us about Privilege and Obligation like he told Peter, James, and John he led them up on a high mountain? Is the Transfiguration a story to teach us about change, about transformation, conversion? Is the transfiguration a story that teaches us about the law and the prophets before them stood the law giver Moses and the greatest Prophet Elijah? Is the transfiguration a story about the words of the Voice in the cloud that identifies Jesus as His Son? Is the transfiguration story about the identity of Jesus?

It is obvious that Jesus took the disciples to the mountain to help them confirm whom he is and also strengthen their faith concerning what he had taught them.  As Jesus was praying and his clothes and face changed gloriously, something happened.   Two prominent Jewish leaders who had exited the world many years before the coming of the Messiah appeared.  They were Moses and Elijah.  Moses and Elijah represent the law and the prophets respectively.  God used them mightily to save his people in times of their hardships.  They were messiahs in their times.  For instance, God used Moses to set his people free from Egypt.  He also used Elijah to destroy the priests of Baal and saved many people from being killed or forced into idolatry.  

We do not have to forget that climbing a mountain such as Horeb is not an easy one; it requires a lot of determination and endurance.  It is only those who are willing to follow the Master (in spite of the challenges they face) who can experience the glory of the Master.  Do not be intimidated or discouraged by the mountain of challenges you are facing today as you follow the Master; think of his glory which is about to be revealed in your life and endure to the end!

But there are also a series of additional lessons that I can discover in this story. One is that Peter could not understand why the Son of God would submit to evil people and willingly suffer. The transfiguration was God’s way of teaching Peter that Jesus is glorified when we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. The world’s philosophy is “Save yourself!” but the Christian’s philosophy is “Yield yourself to God!” As He stood there in glory, Jesus proved to the three disciples that surrender always leads to glory. Likewise, the disciples had to learn that suffering and glory go together. Peter had opposed His going to Jerusalem to die, so Jesus had to teach him that, apart from His suffering and death, there could be no glory. Peter certainly learned the lesson, for in his first epistle he repeatedly emphasized suffering and glory. And additionally, apart from Jesus teaching us about the need to pray to get connected to God, the story of his transfiguration also teaches us to know that when we connect to God, we reflect the glory of God as a mother and father.   

Peter’s intention for them to stay on the mountain was not actually wrong. However, it is obvious Peter did not understand that going to the mountain and tasting the glory of the Lord was a time to be equipped for the challenges ahead.  For me, staying in the mountains is what we can call the spirituality of height. Going down to the plain again, where people are and walking with them is the spirituality of the plain. 

Let's climb the mountain just to fill ourselves with energy and power. And let's go down to the plain to serve the people.

Blessings

Fr. Luis+