by Fr. Ed Liptak, SDB

There are many high places dear to God noted in the Old Testament and  New. This Sunday St. Matthew guides us to the Mount of Transfiguration. None of the three Gospels mentioning it give it a name, but tradition places it on Mount Tabor rising over 1800 feet from the plains of Galilee Now a beautiful church marks the bare stone peak. Justly, for it is a place of divine revelation. Soon after that event Jesus turned toward Jerusalem on Mount Zion, the Temple Mount, and the Mount of Calvary.

The prophet Daniel’s vision foresaw the coming of the Son of Man to his rightful position at the throne of His Father. It is well for us to be aware of what Jesus meant by taking to himself that title, ‘Son of Man.’ The ‘Ancient One’ of Daniel’s vision is the Father. Jesus’ place at the Father’s right hand was justly His, while He was human, He was also Divine. Such the Transfiguration showed Him to be. He is King and reigns with His Father.

We Christians, aided by St. Peter’s second Letter, are told not to consider this event a ‘cleverly devised myth.’ He reminds us that he and his companions, James and John, were eyewitnesses to the ‘majesty’ of Jesus on the ‘holy mountain.’ He repeats what the evangelists have also written that Jesus ‘received honor and glory from God the Father’ by the voice from the glory of heaven. It declared, “This is My Son, My beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus now begs us to ever keep in mind that he is human, Son of Man, and divine, Son of God. 

What happened there on Tabor? Matthew is not over dramatic. On the summit, the face of Jesus ‘shone like the sun.’ “His clothes became white as light.” Then ‘Moses and Elijah appeared’ talking with Jesus. Our Peter, James, and John, future leaders of the Church saw all this. It helped Peter feel guilty that he denied knowing Jesus. It helped John stand bravely at the foot of Calvary with the Virgin Mary. It helped James to be so evidently a leader that he was the first Apostle to shed his blood for Christ.

The three disciples opened their hearts to believe and to follow Jesus. We too, must be open to proclaim and mean it, “Jesus Christ is Lord!” He is at the center of our lives.