In her first collaboration for Recoletos.org, Nicole Aguilar, graphic designer for the Order of Augustinian Recollects, reflects on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Drawing from the episode on Mount Tabor, she offers a close and contemporary perspective to discover how the encounter with Christ transforms the heart and gives meaning to daily life.
What does the Transfiguration of Jesus mean? Why does Mount Tabor still have something to say to our lives?
Amidst the summer hustle, the search for numerous plans, the heat, and the need for rest, sometimes we need to pause and ascend the mountain. Not to escape our reality, but to remember on whom we should fix our gaze and by whom we should allow ourselves to be transformed.
Tabor Before Calvary
The Transfiguration occurs just after Jesus announces his passion. Before the darkness, he grants the disciples a moment of light, so that when they behold him disfigured on the cross, they do not forget that his glory is still present there.
Peter, wanting to remain in that place, does not yet understand that the mountain is not a destination, but a space of transformation. It is the place where one rediscovers who Christ is, to then return to the path. The mountain prepares the disciples to descend into the valley, where crosses, work, doubts, and mission await them.
But, after ascending the mountain, they will no longer return as the same people. For the Christian life does not consist of living extraordinary moments, great emotions, or fleeting experiences, but of a daily transformation that becomes visible in everyday life. In every task, in every glance, and in every conversation, our small calvaries acquire new meaning when we remember the light of Him by whom we have been transformed.
“Listen to Him”: The Father’s Only Invitation
The Father gives them only one command. He does not ask them to admire him, to adore him, or to imitate him; he simply tells them: “Listen to Him.”
In our daily lives, we are surrounded by voices, opinions, and noise. The Feast of the Transfiguration invites us to ask ourselves: What voice truly guides my life? What voice directs my decisions, my relationships, my work, or my free time?
Saint Augustine understood that God speaks within the heart. But to hear His voice, silence is necessary. Only when external voices are hushed can we recognize that voice which calls us by name and leads us to a fuller life.
Ascending the Mountain is Still Possible Today
The mountain appears in the Gospel as a physical place, but today we can also ascend the mountain in many ways: by putting away our mobile phone for a few hours, by visiting the Lord in the tabernacle, by seeking moments of silence, by living the day with less haste, or by dedicating part of our time to prayer. It is not about escaping reality, but about returning to it with a renewed perspective and with the certainty that God also wants to transform our lives.
Tabor reminds us that only those who contemplate the face of Christ can learn to see the world through His eyes. The transformation we witness there does not end on the mountain; it begins when we descend and return to our daily lives with a renewed heart.
The Feast of the Transfiguration reminds us that what our heart seeks and longs for has a face, and that it will only find rest when it meets Him. May ascending the mountain today help us receive the necessary light to return to our day with hope.
