The Gospel account today is on the magnificent Transfiguration of Jesus on
Mount Tabor. As the deacon read, I closed my eyes and recalled the wonderful privilege of being at the place where it all happened.
October 16, 1994... "Today, we shall go to Mt. Tabor," Benji Shavit, our tour guide announced. I was excited! It would be my first time to set foot on the mountain where a momentous event in Jesus' life is immortalized in the Bible. From a distance I saw Mt. Tabor, majestic and serene, distinctly alone, apart from the rolling, rocky hills that abound in the place. I felt the bus start its ascent. It went through a maze of winding roads until it reached an area where around seven or eight buses were parked.
"From this point, we shall take cars to reach the top," Benji said. Don't worry, you will use a Mercedes Benz, four persons to a car," he added with an unmistakable glint in his eyes and a queer smirk on his face.
"Wow," Gloria Reyes, Vangie Chaves and I chorused. Just then several cars stopped before our group. Yep! They were Mercedes Benzes, all right, presumably Circa 1950 or 1960, all in awful need of body shop upgrading. It was worst inside! The floor was covered with scraps of linoleum and flaking shreds of wall covering swayed relentlessly. For years of use, the seat cushion was barely three inches thick so that the coils disturbed (to put it mildly) our behind. Can you imagine the 'sacrifice' we experienced as the car went through the narrow road interspersed with many elliptical curves leading to the summit? The speed with which the car ran was nothing short of fast that kept us gasping for breath with an intoned, "Hesus, Maria, Hosep" at each curve. We held on to whatever solid part of the car was available or to each other's knees or arms for support every time we made a swing.
However, two things won our admiration, the efficiency of the engine of the car and the remarkable skill of the driver. Whatever the vehicle lacked in aesthetics was amazingly redeemed by the output of the machinery manned by the dexterity of seasoned drivers. The penultimate test of expert maneuvers was when an incoming car on its way down sidles a few inches away from an ascending one. By virtue of the "Keep Right" law of the road, our car had to be nearer the cliff which was not at all protected by any enbankment of any kind. Can you imagine the picture of four bewildered faces open-mouthed with anticipation what the next moment would bring? So it was with a deep, deep sigh of relief that we exclaimed, "Thank God" when we finally reached the top of Mt. Tabor with the Basilica of the Transfiguration.
You wil recall that the Bible starts the account with, "After six days..." yes after several days because they had to walk. Mt.Tabor is so high and forested and without any defined road then. It would really take days to reach the top on foot. Peter experienced something there he wanted to last forever. He wanted to hold on to the moment of profound peace and mystery. He wanted to gaze and feel the radiance of Jesus transformed before him - the Glory of God! And Peter said, "Lord, it is good to be here!" It really is good to be with Jesus! It was a "mountaintop experience for Peter.
By the way, it would be good for us to be with Jesus especially during this Lenten Season. How do we do this? By spending more time with Him in prayer and meditation. Our own transforming moments in prayer at home, in church, at work or while watching the splendor of a sunset or the breaking of dawn or by walking by the seashore or through the woods on a crisp autumn morn are all "mountaintop experiences" whether or not we have scaled a mountain. So are the moments we spend alone with Jesus in our so-called "desert" be it on an easy chair in our room or backyard, park bench or just anywhere when we can simply keep still and through the sound of silence let God be God!
We all know that Jesus is God the Son, the Second Person in the Holy Trinity. Yet, Jesus has two natures- Human and Divine. Mt. Tabor is a place so sacred because the Transfiguration was a manifestation of His Divinity just as the Garden of Gethsemane where He sweat blood and accepted "the Cup" manifested His Humanity.
Like Peter, I said, "Lord, it is good to be here. Thank you for bringing me here." All at once, I thought of my family, my loved ones. I wanted them to enjoy the moment with me! I wanted them to set foot on Mt. Tabor, on the mountaintop and feel God's embrace. I looked at the royal blue waters of the Sea of Galilee. I remembered St. Peter's fish, our own "tilapia" and the abundant life forms in the lake because of the generous, giving quality of its nature. The Sea of Galilee funnels out some water to its environs and thus remains fresh and vibrant. Unlike its generous counterpart, however, the Dead Sea is just that- dead to the world, the lowest spot on earth where nothing lives. It keeps every drop of water it receives from the River Jordan which is also the source of water of the Sea of Galilee. How these "seas" (they are actually lakes) dramatize the generous open hands or miserly closed fists of the different peoples of this earth!
The song of St. Francis reverberated in my ears, "Make me a channel of your peace...where there is hatred, let me bring love...it is in giving that we receive..." In retrospect, I asked myself, "Am I giving enough? Is stewardship a priority in my life?" I remembered, too, the proverb about some men grow richer by giving much away while those who are so cautious in extending help to those in need find themselves deprived by some means or other. I resolved to look into the matter of my own stewardship more thoroughly.
I took several deep long breaths of fresh air. I looked at the azure sky and meandering clouds and felt the soft caress of the soft breeze. As I glanced in every direction catching glimpses of greenery and hilly slopes against the quiet waters of the Sea of Galilee, I felt His Presence like never before. I "floated" in the all-embracing love of God! Again, I bowed my head in prayer, "Thank you, Lord, thank you." After a while, I opened my eyes and savored the scenery of verdant valleys below. What a stark contrast to the "valleys" of the city - the careening cars in busy streets, the homeless dotting the sidewalks, the hurried steps of busy housewives and office workers and many more which make up the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Slowly, I straightened my back, pulled my shoulders back and held high my chin. I stood tall with the assurance and confidence of my own humble " transfiguration", so to speak. I walked away ready to face everything buoyed by the memory of the Glory and Radiance of G O D !
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