People of all ages have felt drawn to mountains. Mountains, so close to the heavens, are places of clarity. They offer a different perspective—helping us to see more than we can when we’re immersed in so many things on the ground. St. Francis of Assisi withdrew to Mount La Verna for prayer and there received the holy stigmata. As a young priest, Pope St. John Paul liked to lead mountain retreats and go skiing.
Coming to Mass is a lot like climbing a holy mountain; if you have young children, it might even require similar amount of energy. We climb to the altar of God inside of a church building—in order to offer our most sacred act of worship, the Eucharist, to commune with God, to receive some clarity for our lives, and breathe a breath of the Spirit’s fresh air that we can’t get sitting on our living room couch.
There are many parallels between the celebration of Mass, and our Gospel today on top of Mount Tabor. The Gospel began with a procession up a mountain, Peter, James, John, and Our Lord processing upon the mountain. So too, Mass begins with a procession up towards the altar.
Sometimes non-practicing Catholics will say that they don’t need to go to Mass in order to pray: they can pray anywhere. That’s true. But, one, you can’t fulfill your Sunday obligation by just praying anywhere, and two, we see Jesus in the Gospel leading his disciples to special places to pray: a mountain, a secluded place, the upper room where he celebrated the last supper, and the cross—the mountain of Calvary where the Lord offered the most perfect sacrifice to the Father, himself.
Having reached the top of the Mountain, the Lord became transfigured in dazzling white. On that mountain, his disciples saw the Lord clearly. This certainly reminds us of how at Mass, the Eucharist is held up for all to see. At the transfiguration, of course, the Lord’s face and clothes change in appearance—his divinity is undeniable. At Mass, on the other hand, bread and wine don’t change in appearance. Rather, they change on the supernatural level—bread and wine are changed into the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ, a change we recognize not by sight, but by faith.
Next to the transfigured Lord appeared Moses and Elijah. The presence of these Old Testaments figures reveal that Jesus is the fulfillment of the salvation foreshadowed by the Law and the Prophets. We read almost every week from either the law or the prophets at Mass and we see scenes from the prophets and the books of Moses in our stained glass windows and our Church ceiling.
Next, the Lord speaks with Moses and Elijah about his Exodus. And at this Peter exclaims it is good that we are here. What part of the mass does this remind you of? The homily of course! The priest speaks and everyone says, it is good that we are here…right. But there is a parallel with the homily here, isn’t there. Jesus gives explanation about his mission, just as in the homily drawing from Old Testament and New, the priest gives explanation about our Christian mission, the Christian life.
St. Luke tells us that the Lord spoke about his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. And here’s the reason we read the story of the Transfiguration on the 2nd Sunday of Lent each year. We are given this reminder, from the Lord’s own lips, that though he must tread the road of the cross, he goes there to accomplish our salvation. And the story will not end there. He goes to the cross for you and may, so that we may experience the glory that he revealed on Mt. Tabor.
And we need this reminder, don’t we? Because our crosses are heavy and entail great suffering. Our toils often so overwhelming that we can loose sight of the promises God makes to us.
In the proceeding passage in St. Luke’s Gospel, the passage immediately preceding the story of the transfiguration, the Lord says, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily.” And you might think, why should I? Why should I endure the suffering that the Christian life entails. Why should I practice fasting when there’s so much good and delicious food and drink. Why should I practice prayer when there’s so many entertaining shows? Why should I give my hard-earned wealth to the poor? Why should I risk professional advancement by publicly practicing my Catholic faith? On top of the Mountain of Transfiguration the Lord answers a question raised on the mountain of Calvary. Because the cross leads to transfigured and resurrected glory.
Backs bent over by the weight of their crosses will be straightened. Wounds caused by nails in our flesh and the laceration of the whip will be healed. Wounded hearts, pierced with swords of sorrow will be made new and filled with joy.
That’s why we climb the mountain to come to Mass every week. For one, because it is here, where God begins to heal our wounds, now, giving us glimpses and foreshadowings of heaven, to give us fortitude for carrying our earthly crosses. And two, because it is here at Mass, that our daily crosses are joined to Christ’s on the altar of sacrifice, and we are given the heavenly food, that gives us strength for the journey, to walk the royal road of the cross that leads to the resurrection.
If you think the Mass is just about checking a box so that God has to let you into heaven, boy, is that missing the big picture! The Mass is Mt. Sinai, where we receive the Lord’s commandments. The Mass is Mt Moriah, where we prepare the sacrifice of what we hold dear out of faithfulness to the Lord. The Mass is Mt. Horeb where we hear the Lord’s voice, not in fire and earthquakes, but in tiny whispers. The Mass is Mt Carmel where we retreat from earthly business to contemplate the Lord’s presence. The Mass is Mt. Zion where we enter the temple of the Lord for divine worship. The Mass is Mt. Tabor where we get a glimpse of Transfigured glory. And the Mass is Mt. Calvary, where the Lord goes to accomplish the work of our salvation.
The Lord has led us to this holy mountain, thanks be to God. And with Peter we say, it is good that we are here. For in our Eucharistic celebration, the Lord wishes to give us a glimpse, through faith, of heaven, and feed us with the food that strengthens us for the entire Christian life, that the crosses of our life, may not crush us, but lead to resurrection, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
