We want to always dwell on the mountain with Jesus. We want to hold onto these "mountain experiences" of our faith. We want to cling onto a faith that makes God's love in Jesus so close, so tangible, so real. Peter recognizes the goodness of dwelling in this place: "Lord, it is good that we are here!"
But, we can't always live on the mountain. As a wise priest once told me, life is lived in the valley.
Jesus' glorious Transfiguration reveals him as the Beloved Son of God, the One coming into the world, the humble servant who leaves the place of power to dwell with humanity. The Transfiguration will only make sense in light of Jesus' ultimate act of sacrifice: his suffering and death.
Jesus teaches James, John, and Peter - and indeed, all of us - that true glory comes from emptying ourselves in order to do the will of God the Father.
If we want to dwell in the glory of God on the mountaintop, then we must first live in the valley of our lives. It is there that we will encounter the joys and struggles of our human nature, our sinful and imperfect self, our need for wholeness. In the valley, we know that our interior lives are in need of transfiguration. In the valley, we will also find a world that is still in need of conversion and transformation. When we live in the valley, we come to see and recognize the needs of others. We follow the call of Pope Francis to leave a mark in the world, to make somebody else's life better because they have encountered us.
As we move forward this Lenten season, let us continue to live in the valley. Let us dwell in the interior valley of our lives and accompany others through their own valley. This is difficult and challenging work at times. Yet, we need not be frightened, for we hear the words of Jesus spoken to the disciples on the mountain and echoed throughout time and history. These are the same words Jesus shares with us as we journey from the valley to the mountain and back: "Rise, and do not be afraid."
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