Peter, John, and James glimpse something of the glory of Jesus
on the mountain. They receive a graced insight into who he
is, the fulfillment of God’s promises. It was a learning that
went beyond their own powers or capacities. We can understand
Peter’s disjointedness and his wanting to build those
tents. He wants to stay there, in that moment. But life is not all mountaintop experiences or “aha”
insights.
Not for Peter, and not for us. Sometimes there are
doubts, uncertainties, and fears to deal with. Sometimes we
must make decisions when nothing seems clear at all. Sometimes
we forget everything we’ve learned.
Coming down from the mountain is part of the journey
as well: “As they were coming down the mountain, he
[charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when] the Son of Man had risen from the dead” (Mark
9:9). Jesus is modeling something for the disciples here.
Mount Tabor, the mountain of transfiguration, is only a stop
along the road to Jerusalem. Jesus is following his path to
another mountain, one called Golgotha, a place that will
involve
suffering and sacrifice. It, too, will be a revelation of
glory, but not one the disciples will recognize at first. They
will have to grapple with its meaning, with its promise of
redemption. Somehow this is the path to a new life.
Jesus leads the way on a path that we all must walk. Sometimes
he will lead us up mountains—to moments of deep
clarity and awareness. Other times we will have to walk in
trust, not knowing where we are going. That is when those
moments of clarity come to our aid. They become our reference
points, core memories that inform our decisions and
give us courage to act. They remind us of what we’ve learned.
They help us remain faithful to our deepest selves.

Fr. Mark A. Villano, adapted from Journey to Jerusalem

Mark A. Villano is director of university outreach at the University
Catholic Center at UCLA. Visit his website at mark-a-villano.com.