Sunday Gospel Reflection: Mountaintop Moments & Monastery Kitchens

On this Second Sunday of Lent, the Church proclaims the account of the Transfiguration, when Jesus leads Peter, James, and John up a high mountain and is transfigured before them. In the light of glory, His face shines like the sun, His clothes become dazzling white, and the disciples glimpse who He truly is. The event is both revelation and preparation: revelation of Christ’s divine sonship, and preparation for the scandal of the Cross.

Peter’s instinct is telling. “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here...” He wants to remain on the mountain, to preserve the moment of radiance and consolation. But the Father’s voice interrupts: “This is my beloved Son…listen to him.” The command is not to build, but to listen. Not to cling to glory, but to follow the Son down the mountain toward Jerusalem.

Lent invites us into this same rhythm: ascent, encounter, descent. We long for mountaintop experiences – clarity in prayer, beauty in the liturgy, a felt sense of God’s nearness. Yet most of our lives are lived not in brilliant light, but in the ordinary valleys of work, family, and hidden sacrifice.

Here, the wisdom of Brother Lawrence, a 17th century French, Discalced Carmelite, lay brother becomes luminous. In The Practice of the Presence of God, he teaches that holiness is not confined to extraordinary visions or mystical heights. Washing dishes in a monastery kitchen, he discovered that the glory of God can fill even the simplest tasks when done with love. The same Christ who blazed with the light on Mt. Tabor is present in the quiet repetition of daily duty.