Walk With Him Up the Mountain

A Glimpse of Who Jesus Really Is

Just before the Transfiguration, Jesus had been telling His disciples about the Cross and the suffering that lay ahead. It was not exactly the news they expected from the Messiah.

Then Jesus takes Peter, James, and John with Him up a high mountain.

There, He is transfigured before them. His face shines like the sun and His clothes become white as light. This is not light shining onto Jesus from somewhere else. For a moment, His divine glory is revealed through His humanity.

Then the disciples hear the voice of the Father:

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

The Transfiguration gives the disciples, and us, a glimpse of who Jesus truly is before they continue toward the Cross.

Jesus is fully human and fully divine. We cannot separate the two.

If we focus only on His humanity, we can reduce Jesus to a wise teacher, a good friend, or an inspiring example. But if we focus only on His divinity, we can lose the astonishing intimacy of the Incarnation: God has come close enough to walk with us.

The Transfiguration holds both truths together.

The Jesus Who Walks With Us

There is a beautiful intimacy in this Gospel that can be easy to miss.

Jesus takes the disciples with Him.

They walk together up the mountain. And after this extraordinary encounter, they will walk back down the mountain together.

That is how Jesus leads us, too.

Sometimes following Him means climbing a steep mountain. Sometimes, as St. Paul reminds Timothy in the second reading, it means bearing hardship with strength that comes from God. And sometimes, like Abram in the first reading, it means going where God leads before we can see exactly where the road will end.

But Jesus does not simply point toward the mountain and tell us to start climbing.

He walks with us.

Peter wants to stay in the extraordinary moment. He offers to build three tents, one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. His understanding is not yet complete, but we can recognize his desire: This is good. Can we stay here?

Then a bright cloud overshadows them and the Father speaks.

The disciples fall prostrate, very much afraid.

And what does Jesus do?

He comes to them. He touches them. He tells them to rise and not be afraid.

In just a few verses, we see several ways we are meant to know Jesus.

He is the brother and companion who walks beside us.

He is the teacher whose words we must listen to.

And He is the Lord, the glorious Son of God before whom the disciples fall prostrate.

We need all three.

If Jesus is so transcendent that He cannot be our brother, we miss the intimacy of the Incarnation.

But if Jesus becomes only our friend or teacher, we miss His divinity, His power, and the awe that belongs in our relationship with God.

The Christian life makes room for both intimacy and reverence.

There is a time to walk and talk with Jesus as we would with the closest of friends. A time to listen carefully to what He is teaching us. And a time simply to kneel before Him and remember who He is.

For Moms

Much of motherhood happens down the mountain.

Lunches need packed. Someone needs picked up. A child is struggling. A decision has to be made. We worry about things we cannot control and carry responsibilities no one else completely sees.

We need the Jesus who walks beside us there.

But the Transfiguration reminds us that the One walking beside us is not merely a comforting companion. He is the beloved Son of God.

Sometimes we need to talk to Him.

Sometimes we need to ask for His help.

Sometimes we need to listen.

And sometimes we need to stop doing all of those things and simply kneel.

To remember that the Jesus we bring into the ordinary details of family life is the same Jesus whose face shone like the sun.

Family Practice

Choose one evening this week to spend a few quiet minutes together before a crucifix or, if possible, visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Begin with the Father’s words from the Gospel:

“This is my beloved Son… listen to him.”

Then be quiet together for just a minute or two. No petitions and nothing to accomplish. Simply practice being present with Him.