Transfiguration

Before I was a monk, I made a living cooking, and back in the 80’s I worked for at a summer camp in Sweden, Maine, and for fun, I and some of the counselors decided to drive to New Hampshire and climb Mt. Washington. We had our backpacks, our snacks, we were dressed in layers, we had on hiking boots, and we were ready to go. It cool when we arrived at the base of Mt. Washington, and clear, we were told the top of the mountain was covered in clouds, and that the cloud cover may or may not burn off as we climbed. None of us had ever climbed Mt. Washington before and we had no guide to take us up, so we just had to follow the trail markers and other hikers who hopefully knew their way.  But this was our first and maybe only chance to climb Mt. Washington, so we decided to go for it and started our climb.

The first half hour was slow going, not because of the terrain, but because there were so many other people who had decided to hike Mt. Washington that day. To tell the truth, it was a little more like walking up a hill surrounded by forest. But the further up we went, the more difficult the hike became, and the warmer we became, so we started taking off jackets and sweaters, and the crowds thinned out. After about 2 hours of hiking, we could no longer see people ahead or behind us, we were now all in shorts and tee shirts, and we were about to go above the tree line. We had gone from a lush forest and views to small scruffy pines to boulders covered in fog, we could only see about 100 feet in front of us. We saw a shadow of someone coming towards us, this shadow became a hiker and he said he had turned back before getting to the summit, because from here on up its just more of the same fog with no hope of a good view at the top, this hiker saw no value in making the effort, this man did not want to do the work, he didn’t want to put forth the effort if he did not know the payoff, the hike was far too ordinary, obscure and defiantly laborious. As I was to find out later the top of Mt. Washington is only clear about a third of the time. Some of my fellow hikers said they were heading back down and would wait at the bottom. Only Larry and I kept going.  We eventually made it to the top of Mt. Washington, but we could not see a thing. Visibility was about 15 feet, but we had made it and Larry bought a shirt to prove it. We rested then took the cog railway back down and met our friends.

A couple of weeks later I got the idea to try hiking Mt. Washington again, this time only Larry came with me. We made it to the top of the mountain only to find it covered in clouds one more time. A few more weeks go by and I said I need to try Mt. Washington one more time. This time no one else would take the chance, so I was alone. So, after hours of hiking, going from lush forests to small scruffy pines to a vista of only boulders, and then amazing views, I made it to the top, it was a hard climb, but the reward was worth it, and it was beautiful and bright and clear and silent. From the top of a mountain, things look very different from down here, I could see for miles and miles it was breathtaking and filled me with wonder and awe. When I came back down the mountain, I had a new perspective on things.

There are many mountain journeys mentioned in the bible, some literal and some figurative, but they are all meant to be climbed. In these mountain treks people often start their journey up the mountain in one frame of mind, get to the top of the mountain, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and descend the mountain changed, with a different perspective.

It was only after climbing Mt. Sinai that Moses was given the Ten Commandments by God. It is often said that Moses ascended Mt. Sinai, it sounds rather pleasant, to ascend, walk for a little, stop for a latte on the way up, and then a little chat with God.  It is believed Moses was in his eighties when he went up a mountain over 7,000 feet high, for comparison and he did it 7 possibly 8 times. Those trips could not have been easy, and Moses was generally alone when he made them, I wonder what he thought about on the way up, what would you think about, knowing you are going to converse with the creator of the universe of all that is seen and unseen. That would shut even me up. It was not until his sixth time going up Mt. Sinai that Moses received the tablets with the Ten Commandments that had been carved by God himself. When Moses descended from Mt. Sinai people could tell just by looking at him that something about Moses was different. Moses was in the light of God and now had a message for his people; his journey had been more spiritual than physical, and he had made it to the top and was transformed forever.     

 In the book of Genesis, we hear of Abraham being told by God to take his long-awaited for son Isaac son to Mt. Moriah. Abraham was to take Isaac, his beloved child up the mountain and make of him a holocaust offering. Abraham took his son and set out on the journey to Moriah and up the mountain that God had made known to him. This was a three-day journey; nothing is mentioned of what Abraham said or what he was thinking. What could have been going through Abraham's mind as he made that trek up that mountain? Why was God asking him to do this? Why would God take back something he had given to Abraham? What had he or his son done wrong? Could he take his son’s place? We will never know what Abraham’s thoughts were, but they kept going. As Abraham ascended that mountain accompanied by Isaac, with every step he took, his legs became heavier, his back hurt more, his body was tired, and his heart ached. He had to let go of doubt and mistrust, he had to remember that God had always been watching over him and that he could not lose faith now, Abraham did not have to understand, but Abraham had to trust. Abrahan went up that mountain, and God revealed himself through a messenger and told Abraham not to sacrifice his son. A painful lesson to be sure, but God revealed himself to Abraham, in a way he could not have down in the valley, in the comfort of his tent. Abraham did not come down that mountain the same person as he went up.

In the gospel reading we hear of Jesus taking Peter, James, and John up a mountain. Jesus guided his closest companions, up the mountain slopes, always keeping an eye on them in case they needed help or found themselves in a difficult situation. Up until this point in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus had been revealing who he was to the apostles by teaching and healing, but most of them were not really getting the message. So, Jesus took his closest companions Peter, James, and John up Mt Tabor and was transfigured before their eyes.  Jesus was then in the company of Moses and the prophet Elijah.  The apostles had known Jesus the man, but now they were given a glimpse of Jesus’s Divinity, Jesus was revealing more of himself, more of who he already was. James and John could not speak, and all Peter could do was start babbling about building some tents. Clearly, this is not the time for a do-it-yourself project. Then they heard the voice of God. God said, “This is my beloved son. Listen to him”. Then, Peter, James, and John looked around and realized they were alone with Jesus. There was silence, the light was gone, Moses and Elijah were gone they had seen a momentary glimpse of divine eternity, what was there that needed to be said. Peter, James, and John climbed the mountain with a carpenter but descended in the company of the Messiah, who was going to be killed and then raised from the dead.  

We are now in the second week of Lent, and we are on a journey up a spiritual mountain, and when we make it to the top who will we find, we will find the resurrected Christ on Easter Morning. But we are not there yet. This is the time of preparation this is our assent up the mountain. When you are going hiking you need to travel light only taking what you need, this is the time to rid yourself of what is unnecessary, we can ask ourselves what is more of a burden than a benefit to ourselves, in the trek up the mountain, in the trek to the light of God.  Not sure, what to get rid of, on your mountain trek, ask your spouse, your parents or a best friend, or any of your brothers, they will be happy to help. Rember it’s not about what you are giving up, it’s about what God is trying to give you. And remember these words from God “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him”. How you may ask- silence, prayer, scripture study, and gratitude. You may not get it the first or second time, but the third time’s a charm. At the top of that mountain is Jesus Christ in all his glory and splendor, he is waiting for us, how will we be prepared, to greet him.

        Now not everyone has to take vows and enter an abbey, 10-15 minutes a day, just start somewhere.  If something happens and you miss a day, start again. It was once said the way to describe a monk is the person who stumbles and falls and then gets back up. So, you don’t have to live with the monks, but you can act like a monk and get back up and keep climbing. Today's homily by Father Stephen.