Up and Down the Mountain – Everyday
On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first to conquer Mount Everest, the highest place on earth. Many people asked Tenzing whether he saw God when he was up at the summit. Tenzing wrote in his autobiography, that, the whole expedition which took several years to complete was a process to reach God.
It is the belief with almost all the ancient religions that the gods lived high on the mountains. The Old Testament presents such notions whenever it explains God’s interactions with humanity.
Today’s Gospel presents the experience of three disciples on the holy mountain as they saw Jesus transfigured. Prior to this, John, James and Peter walked with Jesus for six days. It was a tedious journey – climbing up the mountain in order to experience the moment of ecstasy. Our desire to experience God is never static; it is always dynamic, like an ascent to the mount. The whole process of climbing the mountain is the process of transfiguration. For Tenzing, reaching the tip of Mount Everest was the goal. Realizing that goal brought about an ecstatic experience of God.
We can experience Transfiguration in our everyday life.
Each day we can reach the top of our everyday mountain. Climbing up also involves climbing down. What we have experienced on the top has to be relived and shared in love with others. The whole discipline we put in to reach God involves reaching out to our neighbour.
–Fr. Ranjan D’Sa OCD