Our Christian roots: Mt Tabor of the Transfiguration

(Vatican Radio) It’s in all four gospels and is a miracle that confirmed the apostles in their faith that Jesus was not just human but divine. Saints Mathew, Mark and Luke recount the story in vivid detail: Jesus led his disciples, Peter, James and John to a high mountain where he was transfigured before their very eyes.

His face shone as brightly as the sun and his garments became as white as snow, bathed in pure light. Christ was revealed to his chosen apostles in a dazzling brightness produced by the shining forth of his inner divinity. The great Hebrew prophets, Moses and Elijah appeared by the Lord’s side, recognizing him and adoring him. And God the Father proclaimed him his only begotten son.

It was a glorious revelation of the Lord which was to help fortify the disciples to face the terrible trials that were to befall them not long after with Christ’s arrest and crucifixion.

By long tradition, the mountain on which Christ was Transfigured is generally held to be Mount Tabor in Galilee. The site was marked in early centuries by a series of small stone and marble chapels which almost disappeared under rubble and trash after long periods of conquest and Christian persecution. Shrines, including the Greek Orthodox church of St. Elijah and the
Franciscan basilica of the Transfiguration stand on the site today.

As part of our series of Lenten reflections on Christian sites in the Holy Land, scholar and author Fr. Peter Stravinskas takes us up Mount Tabor for that breathtaking moment of Christ’s Transfiguration.

Listen to this program by Tracey McClure: