Praying on the Mountain

Sometimes our prayer transforms us, helps us gain a new perspective, and gives us a "mountaintop experience." Try this:

Read Luke 9:28-36. Draw a mountain, with as much detail as you can.

Ponder your drawing, what you liked, what you disliked, what stirred up emotion, what inspired you, what awakened resistance.

Prayer tranfigures how we wee the world. In certain unforgettable moments we see things as from the mountain, from a liberating perspective. There is a clarity of vision from above that we don't experience in everyday life. They are precious moments of intimacy with God and of call. They are always preparation for the mission. When have you had a mountaintop experience of prayer, a clear experience of approaching God?

Meditate about the mountains in Hebrew history: the mountain of Abraham's sacrifice (Genesis 22), Mount Sinai of the covenant (Exodus 19), Elijah on Mount Carmel (I Kings 18:20-40), and the famous encounter of Elijah with God on Mount Horeb (I Kings 19:9-18). What is God's message for you in these stories?

Jesus invites you to accompany him to the Mountain of Transfiguration. There not only is he transfigured but you too are transformed in the vision of your call, in that special relationship with God that forms part of salvation history. Let yourself feel strengthened for the path that follows. Converse with Jesus, with God, and with the figures from the past, feeling their support. Write a summary of your conversation.