Our life is stretched between the mountains of Transfiguration and Calvary

On the Mount of the Transfiguration the glory of God’s Kingdom was shining out of the Lord. Peter, James and John witnessed that very moment. They also saw Moses and Elijah coming from heaven as the servants of the Lord. Moses came to give testimony that the whole Law finds its fulfilment in Jesus. Elijah, likewise, testified that all the prophets were talking about Jesus. In this way, on the Mount of the Transfiguration, Peter, James and John witnessed that Jesus is the living Torah, the complete Word of God. They witnessed that Christ is the Lord, that Christ is the Feast of True Tabernacles, that Christ is the Holy of Holies. All of these messages opened the eyes of the disciples that Jesus is both: the Messiah and the Son of God.

Taking the disciples to the Mount of the Transfiguration, Jesus also wanted to prepare them for the events on the Mount of Calvary. He wanted to strengthen the faith of His disciples, based on the truth that the person of Christ is always the same; the same in all circumstances; the same in the past, the same now, the same in the future. As we see, the disciples were given much support in order to see that Jesus was the same person on both the mountains. If they were people of faith, they would see that Jesus hanging on the Cross revealed the very heart of God. Indeed, on the Cross, Jesus Christ revealed who He was so that everyone could taste how good and beautiful is God. Jesus, the pure Victim, offered Himself to the Father. If the disciples were people of faith, they would see the Sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary as an expression of the same glory, which was shining on the Mount of the Transfiguration.

It is later understood that neither Peter, nor James nor John embraced the events from the Mount of Calvary with the same faith. Actually they lost faith in Jesus. In all the trauma and pain, they forgot that Jesus is the Divine Person. On Calvary they saw nothing but the scandal and a shameful death. Christ’s Passion was beyond their grasp. They forgot that Calvary was the natural continuation of the meeting which happened at the Mount of Transfiguration. They forgot that they were invited to see it and take part in it.
Interestingly enough, Jesus knew about the doubts of His beloved disciples. In their darkness, in the most painful moments, Jesus assisted them, and touched them on the most memorable Sunday.

Most likely we are to go through the same journey as the disciples did. In this light, Lent is a time to reflect on the mentioned mysteries in the context of our lives. It is good then to reflect on our lives as stretched between Transfiguration and Calvary with Christ and in Christ. It is good to ask Jesus for His strong support and for the grace to remain in Him always.

Fr Stan