Gospel: Mark 9: 2-10
Peter, James, and John experience a magnificent theophany on Mount Tabor, and yet as in so many other instances Jesus tells them not to tell anyone. That seems almost impossible. It is our natural inclination to share good news and remarkable events in our lives with others, and yet Jesus time and again tells us not to do so. How, then, are we to respond to such events of grace in our lives?
In the Synoptic Gospels, the very first miracle Jesus performs was to Simon Peter's mother-in-law. Her response was to get up from her sick bed and serve others. At the end of this Transfiguration experience, Jesus will lead his disciples down the mountain where they will resume the work of healing people of their maladies, delivering them from what possesses them, and providing food for them in their hunger. That is the response of the disciple to grace.
In the age of the touchdown dance this response is countercultural. But recall that Peter wanted to build three booths in remembrance of this event. On Mount Tabor today there are three monasteries - Roman, Greek, and Russian - that represent the hubris and divisions of Christians across millennia to the present day. Those buildings stand as a warning against the touchdown dance, and an incentive to just go about and serve others in humility and love.
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