At the baptism of Jesus, God declared: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” At the Transfiguration these words are repeated, perhaps with more drama. The apostles were challenged to listen to Jesus—and then told not to say anything until he had been raised from the dead. When in your life has an event so changed your understanding of the world that you don’t know what to do or who to trust? God tells you again; listen to my beloved Son.

When Jesus ascends the mountain, once more God makes plain that the sacrifice to come is not at human expense but his. The vision that Peter, James, and John were privileged to see was remarkable, but it's not enough to see a wonder. The voice they hear reveals the response expected: their obedient listening. The three disciples have miles to go in getting that right, of course, and so do you. It's the response, though, of those who appreciate the divine gifts received on mountaintops: freedom from ancient sacrifice at Moriah; the guiding law of Sinai; divine revelation at Tabor; or forgiveness of sins at Golgotha. God is on your side. Are you listening yet?

Jesus took Peter and the brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Sunlight poured from his face. His clothes were filled with light. Then they realized that Moses and Elijah were also there in deep conversation with him.

To choose not to hear, then, to choose not to listen to God’s voice—encouraging you, consoling you, challenging you—is to choose spiritual loneliness, to willingly cut yourself off from love and guidance and the rewards of a relationship with the Divine Word.

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

The power of the word. “Upright is the word of the Lord,” the prophet says—and powerful, too. The words of God’s blessing bring a people into being and invite all nations to God through that people. They reveals the salvation “now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Jesus Christ” and name him the blessed Son whose words are to be listened to. Finally they are the words that destroy death, the resurrection that makes sense of all other words.

Was Jesus transformed, or were his disciples? These three friends of Jesus were not always the most perceptive bunch. They weren’t a particularly wise or well-schooled group of folks, especially when it came to formal religious training. But on one special day they glimpsed the truth about their friend and teacher. The story of Jesus’ transfiguration in front of Peter, James, and John serves as inspiration and promise that we, too, can catch a glimpse of God’s glory, regardless of our walk of life or prior training. All that is required is a willingness to follow Jesus to the mountaintop.

Where woundedness can be refined into beauty a wonderful transfiguration takes place. —John O’Donohue