Our Ministries
4 Aug

The Transfiguration of the Lord

Impactful Mountain Experiences

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

When Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain to witness his Transfiguration, he planted seeds of transformation in them.  This invitation from Jesus to his companions on earth is not unlike what we sometimes do in order to “see things in a different light” or get a “heightened perspective” or remove ourselves from everyday experience for a retreat.

A popular summer destination for families is the mountains. Why do people go to the mountains? What are they in search of? What is it like to climb a mountain? What do they discover there? What is it like to come down the mountain? How are people changed by “mountain” experiences?

I remember a backpacking trip I made with some of my family members and in-laws to Yosemite National Park. I am reflecting today about how the experience transformed me. I am also thinking about what it was like being in the Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor with other parishioners on our Pilgrimage of Art and Faith in March.

The climb in Yosemite was by foot; the climb to Mount Tabor by cab.  Both involve tortuous switchbacks. The cab ride is by far the scarier because the rider has no control. Both are experiences of hope and a different perspective. Let me explain. The trek by foot up the mountain involves carrying all of your supplies with you and means a constant focus on where you are stepping, especially when the path means taking one step in one direction and the next in another. That’s the nature of switchbacks. Just when I thought I could not take another step on the steep climb, my attention went to some simple, beautiful flower growing between the rocks. Or I heard the scurrying of a mountain creature. The air was different and I had a great desire to breathe deeply. The smells were so refreshing.

 What I was paying attention to was very different from my everyday life. I was invited to focus on God’s bounty in nature and the promise that at the end of each difficult period of climbing, there was a sign of hope—vegetation and life in forms that were not so routine for me anymore.

To get to Mount Tabor in Israel, the last segment of our journey was in cabs whose engines were grinding on the steep climb. Most frightening, however, was seeing the drop-offs on the narrow roads and anticipating the traffic of those coming down. I had to keep telling myself to trust the driver. He knew what he was doing. The reward of walking on that holy ground where Jesus made himself known in a new and lasting way to his followers was worth the trek. Sitting in the church, imagining the way Jesus was revealed to us by his Father, and the directive to LISTEN to him touched me and stayed with me.

Our mountaintop journeys do change us. Whenever we seek the Lord and pay attention to how God is working in our lives, we also realize that “listening” is so very important. Take some time this week to notice the sights, sounds, and smells around you. Give thanks for all of them! Take some time to reflect on what “transfiguration” experiences you’ve had. Perhaps it was an ACTS retreat or the RCIA journey. Perhaps it was the birth of a child or some other discovery of “new life” and second chances.  Give thanks for those as well.

Welcome to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church