2ND Sunday of Lent

Mountain climbers who ascend the highest peaks spend a lot of time in preparation. Unlike those of us who take a short hike in the woods or amble over rolling hills, serious mountain climbers can spend weeks or months planning an ascent. Often, the expense alone requires a search for sponsors if a trip is to involve a larger group of people. Nepal now requires a permit of up to $25,000 per person to enter the Mount Everest area for climbing. Mountain climbing for some people has become a thrill-seeking opportunity, if you have the money to spend on it.

Peter, James, and John were fishermen, not thrill-seeking adventurers. But when they climbed up Mount Tabor with Jesus, they had an experience beyond words. In his Gospel Mark describes the transfiguration of Jesus as an appearance in which his clothes became dazzling white. Elijah and Moses, the prophet and the lawgiver, appear with Jesus in this startling scene. Mark says of Peter in his Gospel, “He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.”

Every bit of thrill-seeking has some terror in it. A roller coaster is fun for so many people precisely because there is just that little bit of fear that adds to the exhilaration of the ride. But fear can also paralyze, as it did Peter up on the mountain, when he did not know what to say. Fear can also make us run away. That also happened to Peter, on the night when Jesus was arrested, and Peter denied him. As Christians, we aren’t necessarily thrill-seekers, but we are like mountain climbers in one important way: we spend a lot of time in preparation. Throughout our lives we seek the highest goal, life with Christ in heaven. Lent gives us the tools to get even better at reaching that summit. Our prayer, our fasting, our almsgiving can lead us to the peak of perfection in Christ.

#lent #reflections