We all have moments that stay with us for a lifetime. A quiet conversation with a parent that changed how we saw the world. The birth of a child. A sunset on a trip that took our breath away. An unexpected kindness from a stranger that restored our faith in people. These moments become anchors, and when life gets difficult, we return to them. We remember them, and somehow we find the strength to keep going.
In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus gives Peter, James, and John exactly this kind of moment. He leads them up a high mountain, and there, before their eyes, he is transfigured. His face shines like the sun, his clothes become dazzling white, and Moses and Elijah appear beside him. Then the voice of the Father breaks through the clouds: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
But to understand why Jesus brought them up that mountain, we need to remember what had just happened. Only days before, Jesus had asked the disciples a crucial question: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered boldly, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It was a beautiful profession of faith. Yet when Jesus immediately began to explain what being the Messiah truly meant, that he would suffer, be killed, and rise on the third day, Peter could not accept it. The disciples were expecting a Messiah of power and triumph, a king who would restore Israel’s glory. A vulnerable Messiah who would suffer and die? That was simply beyond their comprehension.
So Jesus took them up the mountain. He gave them a glimpse of glory that would sustain them through the darkest valley they would ever walk through. When they saw him arrested, beaten, and crucified, they would need to remember the mountain. When everything seemed lost on Good Friday, the memory of that dazzling light and the Father’s voice would be the thread they could hold onto. This is how God often works in our lives. The mountaintop experiences we are given are not ends in themselves. They are gifts meant to sustain us through the valleys. The grace of a retreat, the peace we feel at a family gathering, the deep consolation of prayer on a good day, these moments are given so that when the difficult days come, and they always do, we have something real to hold onto. God gives us the mountain so we can survive the valley.
St. Paul understood this deeply. Writing to Timothy from prison, facing his own suffering, Paul reminded his young friend that God “saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design.” Paul knew that holiness is not something we achieve on our own strength. It is a gift that comes from God, often discovered precisely in our weakness and struggle. The holy life Paul speaks of is one where we trust God’s design even when we cannot see the path ahead.
Like Abram in our first reading, who left everything familiar to follow God’s call into the unknown, we too are invited to trust. Abram could not have imagined where that journey would lead. He simply said yes. And that yes changed the course of history. Each of us carries knots in our lives, places of worry, grief, broken relationships, or uncertainty about the future. Sometimes the climb feels steep and we wonder if the effort is worth it. But the Transfiguration reminds us that God meets us on the difficult mountains. It is often in those very places of struggle that grace appears most vividly and leaves a mark that lasts a lifetime.
This is why I am so excited about our Lenten Mission this week with Brother Mickey McGrath, OSFS, the beloved Catholic artist and storyteller. Our parish Lenten theme this year is “Return to Joy: Untying the Knots of Life,” and Brother Mickey, accompanied by our own Meredith Augustin, will lead us into the tangled places in our lives where God is already at work. Through his vibrant art, stories, and reflection, he will help us see how God turns burdens into beauty and struggles into signs of grace. Join us Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings, March 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, at 7:00 PM in the Church. All three evenings are free and open to everyone. Come for one night or come for the full journey, and bring a friend. Learn more here.
Brother Mickey will also be painting a community mural in our Parish Center. Join us before the retreat evenings at 6:00 PM on Tuesday and Wednesday and pick up a brush! No experience needed. Just show up, pick up a brush, and add your mark to something that will be part of our parish for years to come. On Wednesday evening, after the final retreat session, join us in the Parish Center vestibule and Simon Room as we bless our completed mural and to enjoy fellowship! This will be a wonderful moment to gather together in community during our Lenten journey. RSVP here.
The disciples came down from the mountain changed. They did not yet fully understand what they had witnessed, but the memory of that moment carried them through the cross and all the way to Easter. This Lent, let us climb the mountain together. Let us remember where God has met us before, and trust that he will meet us again, especially in the places where we need him most. Lent at St. Simon.
God Bless,
Fr. Brendan