According to Christian tradition, Mount Tabor is said to be the location of this glorious occasion in the life of Jesus. The story is narrated by Sts. Mark, Matthew and Luke, though no where the name of the mountain is mentioned. It is about an empowering, enlightening mystical experience on earth.
In the narration by Luke, it is recorded after the incident of feeding of the five thousand strong crowd. Jesus interacts with the disciples after an occasion of his oft repeated instances of prayer. He is curious to learn from them their understanding about him, which leads to the proclamation by Peter as Jesus being the annointed of God (9:20). It is immediately followed by Jesus' prediction of his sufferings and death, and the need for his disciples to follow him in the path of suffering to be acknowledged by him on his attainment of glory. In passing, he also assures that some of them will witness the Kingdom of God even before they died (9:27).
The next incident is the narration of transfiguration which occurs some eight days later, while Jesus was in prayer on the mountain top, with just Peter, John and Jacob being around, (9:28 ff)
Matthew narrates a second multiplication of bread to feed his hungry listeners - around 4000 of them besides women and children (15:29-39). This time it was from 7 loaves and a few fish. Then there is a discourse on bread, a cautioning against the yeast (teachings) of the Pharisees that leavens the flour, followed by Peter's confession of Jesus as the annointed and the Son of the living God (16:16)! It follows Church being established with divine powers of forgiveness through the pastoral ministry, the foretelling of Jesus' sufferings and death, Peter's admonition, strongly worded correctioning of Peter, the need for radical following of Jesus and the assurance that some of them will witness 'the Son of Man in his Kingdom' (16:28). The next narration is of transfiguration - which is said to have happened 6 days later, on a high mountain, with the three disciples having the exclusive privilege of this rare experience.
The account by Mark (9:2-13) is more or less same as that of Mathew. All the three present more or less the same sequence of events - multiplication of bread, confession of Peter, discourse on suffering, promise of witness to glory, experience of transfiguration on a (high) mountain, and the presence of Moses and Elijah, and the proclamation from heaven: This is my beloved son, listen to him.
The feast is observed generally on August 6th, and various apostolic churhces celebrate this. In the eastern Byzantine tradition, it is one of the twelve solemn feasts (in the order of sequence: Nativity of the Mother of God, Theotokos - Sep. 8, Presentation of the Mother of God - Nov. 21, Annunciation - March 25, Nativity of Christ - Dec. 25, Presentation of Jesus at the temple - February 2, Baptism of Jesus - Jan. 6, Transfiguration - August 6, Entry into Jerusalem - Sunday before Easter, Ascension of Christ - 40 days after Easter, Pentecost - 50 days after Easter, Dormition of the Mother of God - August 15, Exaltation of the Cross - Sep. 14).
I am fascinated by this feast for more than one reason:
1. The experience of the radiant transformation of the physical body in prayer - though it is only Luke who refers to it having occured 'while he was praying'. I assume that Jesus' finding time to be away from the madding crowds, and alone with the Alone, is rewarded with an empowering experience of spiritual power and radiance. This can still happen, I believe, that the radiance beyond the limiting earth is possible through the divine communion which is to be the core of 'prayer'. Prayers are meant to be occasions for this communication and resultant communion and transfiguration, indicative of that communion. It can very well be physical - levitating, making one's physical presence itself radiating spiritual power, healing! But this requires climbing the high mountain, sparing time, spending time in communication.
2. Prayer leads to the confirmation of divine sonship of Jesus, and in turn, our own divine son/daughtership in Jesus. I am a child of God. It should help us arrive at decisions that will repeatedly confirm us as 'my beloved son/daughter, in whom I am well pleased', and God's spirit would urge others to 'listen to us' as the divine children. It is the clarity that is arrived at from the contemplation of the Lord's message that will help us be His beloved children, by understanding and fulfilling His will, which means goodness in action, always.
I hope the celebration of our (contentious) liturgy, our rituals - including the sacrament of confirmation - leads to such confirmation. Alas, more than often this is missing, and we get bogged down by 'ritualsim' and 'legalism', instead of transfiguration and transformation. This does not appear to be God's will!
3. It is Luke alone who introduces the theme of the discussion among the three great men - Moses, Elijah and Jesus - about the sufferings and death Jesus have to face in Jerusalem, and his subsequent glory. The transfiguration experience is a reminder of this mystery of life we have to grapple with, and Jesus only confirmed this without dwelling on the why of it, as the 'will of God'. Sufferings (limitations) of human life are a guarantee for future divine glory. Though I cannot really say this is so with everyone, at least the lives familiar to us, of St. Alphonsa, St Chavara, St Euphrasia, St Maria Goretti... the suffering and death of our own student, Ajna (who, I hope will soon be an officially recognized by the Church, for the model she had set for youngsters in putting up the sufferings of this life)...all point to this!
4. The symbolism of Jesus as the fulfilment of the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah). This is bordering around dogma, which I am not happy to dwell on. However, in Jesus we do find a blending of the divine law (love) and whatever prophets of the old testament have uttered. God-realisation in a human being, holding the image and likeness of God. This great possibility is still there. And the feast is the invitation to each of us to realise in us the divine law, and be prophetically out there as reminders of the divine presence everywhere.
The incident is preceded by a series of acts of goodness and 'compassion', especially that of feeding his hungry followers, on whom he had compassion.
Can't help connecting this with our former Chief Minister Sri Oommen Chandy (of Keralam), who appears 'transfigured' in his death, indeed in resplendent glory, on the basis of his committment to God's law of 'doing good as God himself is good', whose life seemed to have been a replication of the summary statement Peter makes about Jesus, 'He went about doing good' (Acts 10:38), and for his sufferings as a just man.
How good if we were to be granted such privileged and transforming experiences. And consolation to our errant earthern nature is that in spite of such experience(s), Peter defaulted, deviated, but came back. May our recurring deviations from the Lord's path, not dissuade us from coming back again, and pursuing our great goal of realizing the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:14).
I am also eagerly waiting to visit this 'high' mountain of this great experience in the Holy Land. God willing, soon! And perhaps, sit there, with the Lord, and listen to the empowering confirmation: 'this is my beloved son'!
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_feasts_in_the_Eastern_Orthodox_Church> August 6, 2023
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