“Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray” (Luke 9:28). In the Gospels, there are several moments of significance when Jesus takes Peter, John, and James to be alone with him. Here, on Mt. Tabor, the three apostles will witness something that the other apostles did not. They will see Jesus glorified speaking with Moses and Elijah. Moses represents the Law and Elijah represents the prophets. All that God had revealed to His Chosen People could be summed up in the Law and the Prophets. Now Jesus is speaking with Moses and Elijah and he is above them; he is the fullness of God’s revelation, being God and man.
Mt. Tabor is unlike most of the mountains or hills in the region which are usually connected or part of a chain. Mt. Tabor is a mountain all by itself in the middle of several valleys and is only a few miles from Nazareth and Cana. As a matter of fact, you can see Nazareth from the top of Mt. Tabor which you reach by way of a zigzagging road that is too narrow for a bus.
Mt. Tabor and the Church of the Transfiguration
Nowadays, when you arrive at the top you see a beautiful church with three domes; the one in the center is larger and taller because it is over the altar dedicated to Jesus Christ. The one on the left is dedicated to Moses and the one on the right is dedicated to Elijah. These three domes were inspired by the words of Peter,
“…let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah” (Luke 9:33)
For the moment, Peter was caught up in the ecstasy of that mountaintop experience and wanted to remain on the mountain. However, if they would have remained on the mountain, they would have neglected their mission. It is a temptation for all of us to hope we will find a place where everything will be okay and we won’t have to be concerned with trials and difficulties. However, that was not the reality for the Apostles and it is not the reality for us. The Lord will continue to take us to places where we must depend upon him so that we can become spiritually mature and be filled with hope, even in the most difficult circumstance.
By his transfiguration, Jesus is preparing Peter, James, and John for the scandal they will witness when he enters into his passion. There will be many things they will see and hear as they follow Jesus that will challenge their faith and so he has given these three this glimpse of his glory to strengthen them so that they in turn can strengthen the others.
The Mission of the Apostles and the Church
We are beginning the second week of Lent. The purpose of this liturgical season is to renew the mission of Christ in our lives so that by cooperating with his grace we will be reconciled to God and one another. It doesn’t happen automatically. We must make concrete choices. That is why once again we look at prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as a means of surrendering our hearts to the Lord. If we do not have time to pray, if we are not generous with what we have, and if we allow our appetites to dominate us, we are far from the kingdom of God.
Jesus Christ is not just a God of miracles that we look to in our time of need, hoping he will fix everything for us. Sometimes he does that, but most of all he wants a personal relationship with us that draws us into intimate and fervent prayer that leads us to trust him completely with every aspect of our lives. This trusting relationship will free us from anxious dependency on our own resources so that we will be generous with what we have, knowing that God can not be outdone in generosity.
The Call to Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving
The most important thing we can do for ourselves and the people we love is to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus by being faithful to what he has revealed to us through the Scriptures and the Church. He is the one who brings peace and happiness into our lives, but on his terms because he knows what is best for us. If we do not look to God for direction as we make our plans, we are destined for unhappiness.
The Peace and Happiness of Following Jesus
St. Augustine once said,
“Our hearts are restless O’ Lord until they rest in you.”
Lord, you have created us to be in relationship with you. There is no other way we can reach our potential for happiness. Give us the grace Lord to love you above everything else and our neighbor as our self so that we may be happy now and for all eternity.
Deacon Tom Fox, K.C.H.S., and Mary Jane Fox, D.H.S. are the Co-Founders & Co-Directors of Pilgrim Center of Hope. The two left their careers after a profound conversion experience and began working full-time in ministry at their parish in 1986. After several years and having impacted tens of thousands of families, the Foxes founded Pilgrim Center of Hope in 1993 as a response to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization. Deacon Tom is an invested member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Commander Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.
Answering Christ’s call, Pilgrim Center of Hope guides people to encounter Him so as to live in hope, as pilgrims in daily life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.
