and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.
Reflection
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Comprehending future joy and eternal happiness can be difficult if we have nothing in our memories to fall back on or guide us. The beauty of the English countryside, the companionship of a loved one cannot be taught but only experienced.
A mother knows the pangs of childbirth, man can only imagine. Tears of sorrow can only be shared with another whose love has also been lost.
When Jesus called the apostles they did not understand the Messiah and what the future would bring. Their understanding of the Savior were expectant dreams. He would be the victorious King but not what they anticipated. Divinity was walking amongst them but they could not understand.
Having given up everything to follow Him, the apostles would encounter the scandal of the Cross, His humiliation, His sufferings and the shame of the Cross of Jesus.
Here at Mt Tabor was the glory of Jesus manifested before them: a glimpse of the promised rewards.
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