They went up on the mountain to pray

We live 250 feet up a mountain of 1,800 feet, named Mt Tabor, by the local Benedictine Abbey, which is located much further up the mountain. The Mt Tabor in Israel is also about 1,880 feet. At least once a year we try to make a hike to the top of our local Mt Tabor.

So this week’s Gospel resonated with me Luke 9: 28-36 ‘Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray.’ I identified with having to climb the mountain to pray, since on many occasions we have taken youth groups on a hike up the mountain, and there at the summit, we have prayed.

The hike up and the view of the plains below must have been similar with Jesus and his apostles experience. The effort of climbing, the slowing of breath, and the steady rhythm of each step create a sense of anticipation, just as the apostles must have felt ascending with Jesus.

Reaching the summit, we are struck by a profound stillness—an openness to something greater than ourselves. There, surrounded by the beauty of creation, prayer comes naturally, as if the mountain itself invites us to draw closer to God. I can only imagine how Peter, John, and James must have felt when, in such a setting, they witnessed Jesus transfigured before them, his divine glory revealed.

In those moments atop our own Mt. Tabor, I am reminded that prayer and revelation often come through a climb to a figurative mountain top. The effort, the struggle, and the perseverance required to reach the summit mirror the spiritual journey we all undertake—one of faith, trust, and transformation. Just as the apostles saw Jesus in a new light on Mount Tabor, we too are invited to see our lives, our challenges, and even our own identity with fresh eyes when we ascend our own Mt Tabor in prayer.

Friend, as we start this journey of Lent, in this Year of Jubilee, let us make it a journey to a mountain top. Let us embrace the climb with hearts open to renewal, allowing each step—whether through prayer, fasting, or acts of love—to draw us closer to God’s presence. Just as Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, may we also be transformed by this sacred season, seeing our lives’ journey with new clarity and hope.

The journey may be demanding, but the grace we receive along the way will sustain us. And when we reach those moments of revelation, may we, like the apostles, be ready to listen, to trust, and to carry that divine light back into the valleys of our daily lives.

I thank all of you for your support in making the newsletter pass our first year anniversary, as we climb this mountain, sowing the seeds of the Gospel. May God reward all of you for your support. I thank my patrons, without who this would not have been possible.

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