The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

March 1, 2026 – Second Sunday of Lent - Matthew 17:1-9

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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I wanted to make my 50th birthday a special experience. As it happened a close friend suggested that he and I take a serious hike in the great outdoors of Colorado. After I agreed, he suggested that we really make it special by climbing one of the state’s most renowned mountains, Pike’s Peak. And we did.

The climb was challenging but also inspiring. Once at the summit, I could look out in all four directions over great distances. I came to a new appreciation of God’s creation being able to personally witness what the Jesuit poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins called “God’s grandeur.”  

My appreciation of my first fifty years took on deeper meaning. I was filled with gratitude. As I reflect on today’s gospel, I can more fully imagine what the closest disciples of Jesus felt when he invited then climb that mountain with him and experience what’s called his transfiguration.

Not surprisingly, they asked to remain awhile on the mountain. Build some tents for Jesus and Moses and Elijah, they suggested. We don’t want this moment to end. But Jesus knew “mountaintop moments” are only momentary. They come and go. This experience was to strengthen the faith of his disciples. But their lives and their ministry involved matters more “down to earth.” Just as it is with us.

We are now entering the season of Lent, a time when we are invited to more intentionally turn our attention to prayer and reflection on the mystery of our life with God. This season has been called the church’s “annual retreat” for all.

During these days nature seems more at rest. It’s a good time to focus on our daily lives and routines to search for God’s presence. I find it helpful to reflect on and examine the life that I share with family, friends and neighbors, even with strangers. Where is God to be found in moments of communication and connection with others? There is much talk today about what is called “social isolation.” We each might ask ourselves how much full attention do we give to those who share with us the gift of life?

Jesus invited his disciples to come down from the mountain because he knew that their attention needed to focus on what’s “down to earth.” Yes, the sacred can be experienced on mountain tops, but God is just as present right here with us, here where we are.

David M. Thomas, PhD