Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor
M Mons. Vincenzo Paglia
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Gospel (Mk 9,2-10) - At that time, Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, alone, alone. He was transfigured before them and his clothes became dazzling, very white: no fuller on earth could make them so white. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses and they were conversing with Jesus. Taking the floor, Peter said to Jesus: «Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let's make three booths, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." In fact, he didn't know what to say, because they were scared. A cloud came and covered them with his shadow and a voice came out of the cloud: "This is my beloved Son: listen to him!". And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone except Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to tell anyone what they had seen, except after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. And they kept the matter between themselves, wondering what it meant to rise from the dead.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

The mountain of transfiguration, which subsequent tradition will identify with Tabor, stands as an image of every spiritual itinerary. We can imagine Jesus calling us too to take us with him to the mountain, as he did with the three closest disciples, to live with him the experience of intimate communion with the Father; an experience so profound that it transfigures the face, the body and even the clothes. Some commentators suggest that the story narrates a spiritual experience that involved Jesus first and foremost: a celestial vision that produced a transfiguration in him. It is a hypothesis that allows us to understand more deeply the spiritual life of Jesus. Sometimes we forget that he too had his own spiritual journey, as the Gospel itself notes: «He grew in wisdom, age and grace». Without a doubt there was no lack of joy in him for the fruits of his pastoral ministry, just as there were also anxieties and anxieties about what the Father's will was (Gethsemane and the cross are the most dramatic moments). In short, for Jesus everything was not predictable and planned. He too experienced the effort and joy of a journey. There was also the climb up the mountain for him, as already for Abraham and then for Moses, for Elijah and for every believer. It is to say that Jesus also felt the need to "ascend" towards the Father, to meet with him. It is true that communion with the Father was his very being, his whole life, the bread of his days, the substance of his mission, the heart of everything he was and did; but perhaps he too needed moments in which this intimate relationship emerged in the fullness of him. The disciples certainly needed it. Well, Tabor was one of these very singular moments of communion that the Gospel extends to the entire historical story of the people of Israel, as evidenced by the presence of Moses and Elijah who "conversed with him". Jesus did not live this experience alone; he also involved his three closest friends. It was one of the most significant moments for the personal life of Jesus and for the three disciples, but it can also become one for all those who get involved in this same climb.