Follow Him Down the Mountain

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There are moments in life we wish could last forever. A graduation. The birth of a child. A retreat that rekindled our faith. A quiet hour before the Blessed Sacrament when everything finally seemed clear. Peter knew that feeling. Standing on the mountain, seeing Jesus transfigured in dazzling glory, with Moses and Elijah beside Him, he blurts out, “Lord, it is good that we are here.” Then he makes a suggestion that sounds reasonable: “Let us make three tents.” In other words, Let’s stay here. Let’s hold on to this moment. But the Christian life was never meant to be lived on the mountaintop. The mountain reveals who Jesus is, but the valley is where we learn what it means to follow Him.

God interrupts Peter before he can finish his plan. A bright cloud overshadows them, and the Father’s voice says, “This is my beloved Son… listen to Him.” Notice that the Father does not say, “Admire Him,” or “Stay here with Him.” He says, Listen to Him. Why? Because listening to Jesus would eventually lead the disciples away from the mountain and toward Jerusalem, where the cross awaited. The glory of the Transfiguration was real, but it was not the destination. It was preparation. Jesus knew that His disciples would soon witness His suffering, and He wanted them to remember His glory when the darkness came. Sometimes God gives us moments of light so we have the strength to face the darkness.

Many of us are like Peter. We want a faith that stays on the mountain. We love the moments when prayer feels easy, when God seems close, when life makes sense. But sooner or later we all have to come down the mountain. We return to difficult families, demanding jobs, unanswered prayers, and crosses we never asked to carry. It is there, not on the mountain, that faith becomes real. The purpose of every encounter with Christ is not simply to make us feel inspired – it is to make us more faithful. The measure of a disciple is not how high he climbs in moments of consolation, but how faithfully he walks when the path becomes ordinary.

At the end of the Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples not to speak about what they had seen until after His Resurrection. Why? Because glory only makes sense through the cross, and the cross only makes sense through the Resurrection. That is the rhythm of the Christian life. Every Eucharist is a little Mount Tabor. We glimpse the glory of Christ hidden under ordinary appearances. But when Mass ends, we are sent back into the world – not to build tents around the altar, but to carry His light into our homes, workplaces, schools, and communities. The question is not whether we have seen His glory. The real question is whether that glimpse has changed the way we live once we leave the mountain.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, when life becomes heavy and the road grows difficult, remind us of Your glory. Help us not to cling only to moments of comfort, but to trust You enough to follow wherever You lead. Teach us to listen to Your voice, to carry our crosses with hope, and to become witnesses of Your light in a world that longs for it. May every encounter with You strengthen us, not to stay on the mountain, but to walk faithfully with You every day. Amen.

– Homily by Rev Fr Patrick Agbeko