Over the past few years as my wife and
I get older, we been taking our grandchildren on trips in manageable
groups of course, since we have nineteen of them. We do this partly
to get to know them better, and I guess we hope that after we are
gone they might remember us now and then and say a little prayer.
And this summer is no exception. I'm very glad our seminarian is
here to take over some of my routine duties so that I can do this. A
few years ago Joan and I were in Colorado and we climbed the Bear
Lake trail in Rocky Mountain national park. As we climbed higher and
higher, we passed three small mountain lakes, each one different from
the previous. At the very top of the trail, we looked out over
another lake. It was situated in what seemed to be a giant bowl with
jagged edges. The end of the trail was the only place you could
stand and touch the lake; the rest of it was surrounded by sheer
cliffs. And we sat there in wonder for about a half-hour, not
wanting to leave this spot which seemed so close to God. We hope to
bring some grandchildren back to the spot in a couple of weeks. But
it probably won't be the same. Mountaintop experiences are few and
far between.
One of the things that probably all
human beings have in common is the idea that God is “up there”.
The Confucian religion refers to God as “heaven”. In addition to
a sacred river, the Hindus look upon the great mountains of the
Himalayas as dwelling places for some of the many ways God shows
himself to humans. And of course Japan is famous for Mount Fuji,
sacred to Buddhism and the Shinto religion. The most sacred building
in Islam is the Kaaba in Mecca which is said to be made up of stones
taken from mountains sacred to Judaism and Christianity.
And Jews and Christians have mountain
traditions as well. Moses got the commandments on a mountain; Elijah
heard God's voice on a mountain. And Jesus himself gave his sermon
about the beatitudes on a mountain. And as we recall the
transfiguration, we are again looking at a mountain which pilgrims
visit even today, Mount Tabor.
What do we make of this? Jesus and the
three apostles who were closest to him climb the
mountain, and it was a pretty
strenuous climb, probably taking several hours. And they were doing
it in sandals. When they reach the top, they undergo an experience
unlike anything they've ever had. If they ever had any doubts about
Jesus' place in things, there he was, talking with the founder of
their religion and it's greatest prophet. In the Gospel of Luke, it
says they were talking about the suffering that was ahead of him,
that would occur in Jerusalem.
And at that point, Peter wants to put
up three tents, or three booths depending on which version you read.
The point, of course, is that Peter wants to capture the moment and
like human beings everywhere, he wants to build a monument, or maybe
an enclosure to contain these three figures.
So there is another human tendency.
We like to put the sacred in a place. That's why we have churches,
and in the olden days, we used to have an altar rail separating the
laity from the clergy. They still do that in some of the Eastern
rites and Orthodox churches.
And at that point, we have a voice
from the heavens – the very last time God the Father will speak to
human beings directly. And the Father affirms that Jesus is doing
exactly what the Father wants him to do, but perhaps more to our
benefit, we are told to listen to him. From now on the Son will be
the one who speaks to us with the voice of God.
So that is the mountain top
experience. No wonder the disciples were lying flat on their faces
and very much afraid. They knew that you couldn't see God and live,
and yet, they must have realized based upon their shared experience,
that Jesus was God.
Then Jesus touches them gently and and
they look up and there he is, like he's been for the last three
years, an ordinary looking man. And they go down the mountain, and
are told to tell no one of their vision until Jesus is raised from
the dead.
But look at what happened. The
apostles went up the mountain to encounter God. Why else go up? And
indeed they do encounter God, but realize that God has been with them
all the time and continues to be with them. Peter tries to build a
sacred space, and Jesus eventually tells them that the way to
remember him is not by building churches or monuments but instead by
doing what he did at the last supper – sharing a meal with each
other in which he joins us by becoming our food and drink.
We human beings may need mountain top
experiences to help us with our faith. There are a few moments in my
life when I've had those experiences, and they sustain me. And
whenever I think about the transfiguration – and I do at least once
a week when I say the so called luminous mysteries of the rosary –
I pray that God will strengthen my faith. Will I ever have the faith
of those apostles? I long for another mind-blowing experience that
tells me without question that I am on the right track, that I am
beloved, that God is pleased with me.
But the apostles came down from the
mountain. Life is lived in the valleys. And maybe that is the
message of the transfiguration – that we don't have to go up the
mountain, we don't have to build monuments, we don't have to look for
God, because God will always find us and touch us and tell us not to
be afraid.
