Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Matthew 17:1–9  

Have you ever had a mountaintop experience? Several years ago, I had the joy of attending the Walking with Purpose Flourish conference. A weekend spent surrounded by faith-filled women bursting with joy, powerhouse speakers, deep time in prayer with the true presence of Jesus in adoration, and the Mass. During that experience, I encountered Christ deeply in prayer, which revealed a profound sense of clarity and peace. Not to mention the opportunity to rest in a hotel room by myself, without the needs of my little ones waking me in the middle of the night. In the quiet of adoration, the noise of my daily life—the schedules, the tasks, the mental load—all fell away. 

On the last morning of the conference, after a gloriously comfortable sleep in the hotel, I awoke to a phone call from my husband. Two of the four kiddos were up all night with the stomach flu, and it really wasn’t pretty. He was adamant that I stay for the last day (earning major husband-points), but he did ask where the carpet cleaner was. I could only picture the mess.

I knew that my husband was bearing the burden of sick kiddos and that he definitely could have used some help. But, saturated in the joy and exhilaration of this mountaintop experience, at that moment I thought, “I just don’t want to leave.”

The disciples Peter, James, and John found themselves in a similar situation in tomorrow’s gospel reading. Jesus took His dear friends on a journey up Mount Tabor, and what they witnessed was nothing less than astounding. Jesus was “transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2). In that moment, Jesus revealed His true identity. Although He came to earth in human form, He was—and remains—divine, all-powerful, and almighty. 

At the top of the mountain, the full power of the Triune God was revealed: the direct voice of God the Father, Jesus, the second person, and the Holy Spirit present in the cloud. To top it off, Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus. Can you imagine what the disciples must have felt? The awe of bearing witness to heaven and earth meeting before their very eyes was so powerful that they could only fall on the ground in humility.

Upon witnessing this power, Peter, ever the practical thinker, responded by saying, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Matthew 17:4). What he was really saying was, “I just don’t want to leave!” In the midst of this incredible mountaintop experience, he didn’t want to go back to whatever was waiting for them at the bottom of the mountain. There was so much chaos and uncertainty in the valley. The feeling of fullness and perfect peace in the midst of the almighty presence of God made it hard to want to be anywhere else, especially in the mess that awaited them in the world. Peter’s response echoes the longing for heaven: to simply abide in the perfect, transforming presence of God.

But the mountaintop was never meant to be a permanent residence. Jesus revealed His full glory to the disciples for a purpose: to prepare them for the journey ahead. He intentionally revealed His true power to them so that they might begin to understand the weight of His passion. Jesus knew that soon, He would willingly give up His life on the cross. He needed the disciples, and us, to realize that if He wanted to, He could have stopped it all. In His incredible power, He could have blinked an eye, and all of the angels in heaven would have stormed the earth, and all who opposed Him would have faded away. 

What power He could have displayed! But He didn’t. Instead, He willingly gave Himself over for the salvation of the world, for your salvation and for mine. 

After revealing the full power of the Trinity, Jesus led His disciples down the mountain to accomplish the work that the Father destined for them. Even as Jesus instructed them not to tell anyone what they had seen, I can only imagine that their hearts were transformed. It is impossible to witness the full power of God on display and not be affected by it. 

From the heights of the mountaintop, Jesus led them back down into the valley. Bearing witness to God’s power and glory equipped them with a resolve to stay close to Him (however imperfectly) and the grace to become like Him. Through the lens of the Transfiguration, the disciples began to see that following Jesus meant carrying the heavenly light into the humility of everyday service and pouring it out in sacrificial love.

Just as Jesus led the disciples down the mountain, I knew that as I traveled home from Flourish, He was calling me to take what I had experienced with me. The incredible grace that I received was not meant to be hoarded in a hotel room; it was meant to be taken back and poured out in the ways that He was calling me to serve my family and our Church. I knew that as I walked into the valley, He led me every step of the way. 

Jesus doesn’t meet us on the mountaintop and tell us to stay there. He reveals himself to us in order for us to be changed and renewed, and then to go down the mountain. He comes into the valley with us to be present in it all—in the mess, the broken relationships, the laundry rooms, the boardrooms, and the chaos. 

Every time we seek Him in prayer, He desires to reveal to us who He truly is so we may be renewed.

Every time we hear God’s Word in Scripture, He desires for us to be transformed.

Every time we receive Him in the Eucharist, we are present to His full power and glory, and He abides within us. 

As I walked in my front door that afternoon and saw the exhausted face of my husband, the sweet (and miserable) faces of my children, I knew that Jesus was with me right in the middle of the mess. And as I reached for the carpet cleaner, I was able to say, “It is good that I am here.”

With love in the valley,
Laura 

Food for thought or journaling …

Can you remember a mountaintop experience with the Lord? What graces or healing did you receive? What is an area in your life right now that feels messy or untethered that God is calling you to enter? 

God, You are almighty and everlasting. You know every detail in my life. Come and transform my heart so that I may love and serve like You. May I abide in Your power in my life in whatever I experience and rely on Your presence in the valley. Amen. 

P.S. If you are looking to head up the mountain, I hope you will join me at Flourish 2026 in St. Louis, MO. I can guarantee a community of women bursting with joy, powerhouse speakers, and the presence of Jesus. Hope to see you there, sister!