There is a story from ancient China that gives some insight into today’s gospel. Like the gospel, the story also took place on top of a mountain - Mount Ping. The Enlightened One lived there and many disciples came to study and meditate with him. One young student, named Lao, after years of study decided to accept his destiny, to retreat down the mountain and give up his hope of enlightenment. When Lao went to tell the master of his decision, the Enlightened One was meditating. Before Lao could say anything, the master spoke. “Tomorrow I will join you on your journey down the mountain.”

The next morning the master looked out into the vastness surrounding the mountain peak. “Tell me, Lao, what do you see?’ “Master, I see the sun beginning to wake just below the horizon, hills, mountains that stretch on for miles, and far below a lake and a small village.” The master smiled and they began their journey. When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, the master asked Lao again, “What do you see?” “Master, I see roosters as they run around barns, cows in the meadow and children jumping into a stream.” The master remained silent and they walked together to the gates of the town. There the master invited Lao to sit down under an old tree. “What did you learn today, Lao?” the master asked. “Perhaps this is the last wisdom I will impart to you.” Lao was silent. After a long silence, the master continued, “The road to enlightenment is like a journey down a mountain. Enlightenment comes only to those who realize that what one sees at the top of the mountain is not what one sees at the bottom. Seems obvious - but without this wisdom, we close our minds to all that we cannot view from our position and we limit our capacity to grow and improve. But with this wisdom there comes an awakening. We recognize that alone one sees only so much - and in truth it is not much at all. This is the wisdom that opens our minds to improvement, knocks down prejudices and teaches us to respect what at first we cannot view. Never forget this last lesson, Lao, what you cannot see can be seen from a different part of the mountain.”

When the master stopped speaking, Lao looked out to the horizon and as the sun set before him, it seemed to rise in his heart. Lao turned to the master, but the great one was gone.

From a Christian point of view, Jesus is the “different part of the mountain.” He sees things which, from our position on the mountain, we are not able to see. That is why the voice from the cloud assures the disciples of Jesus’ relationship with the Father and urges them to listen to him. When we follow someone more enlighten than ourselves, we must be open to what they say. Even if we can’t see it. This does not mean we become gullible or mindlessly obedient. But it does mean we temporarily suspend our own conclusions, our own assumptions to work with the words that may be, on first hearing, strange to us. Jesus has greater wisdom and courage than his followers. They must realize this and risk the act of listening. They cannot immediately argue with everything they are not comfortable with. As we learn to listen to the Word of God through the gospels, we must have that same openness.

In moments of honesty, we will all admit to dismissing many of the words of Jesus. The sayings about loving our enemy, forgiving seven times seventy times, not being concerned about tomorrow, lending to those who cannot repay you, turning your cheek when someone strikes you, giving your coat to someone who asks for your shirt - these sayings so powerfully assault our common sense that we do not entertain them. But perhaps they are invitations to a deeper level of wisdom. We will never know unless we are willing to engage in an act of deep listening, an act that involves the letting go of some mental defenses as well as the letting in of these strange words.

The gospels contain a strange spiritual wisdom. A wisdom that conflicts with our worldly understanding of life and our preferred ways of behaving. In order to hear the gospel wisdom and to cultivate it until we understand it and are able to integrate it into our lives, we may have to let go of some of our favorite certainties. But if listening to Jesus leads to greater life and love, then the “letting go” will be done in joy. This is the ultimate reason for listening to the Word of God. Jesus has the words of eternal life. But in order to receive them, we must let go of the words of death. We are called to ponder deeply these words of Jesus until life overcomes death. The Transfiguration takes place on the road to Jerusalem - the place of Jesus’ death and it takes place on the road to Easter - the road of eternal life.