After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them and his clothes became dazzling white. such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.
The Word in other words
Working in school for the last 14 years, I found that one of the most challenging decisions to make every year is where to hold major retreats and recollections. This is true not only for our faculty but also for our students, especially the graduating 4th year students whose parents can usually afford out of town activities for their children, And what should be the gauge of a good place for such activity? For us administrators, foremost is that it should be in a far and isolated place. We discourage retreats in our city because there is always the temptation to go home which is anyway just a stone's throw away. Moreover, making "valid reasons" for "hard to refuse" permissions is as easy for our employees or students as buying puto (rice cake) in a nearby store. Looking back to the planning stage of every retreat or recollection, a great number would insist that it be held locally for various reasons like it saves money, makes it easy for the "SC" (Senior Citizen) members of the community, facilitates the feeding of their babies, and many more, Of course, some reasons are valid, but others are obviously not convincing enough compared to the annual spiritual activity,
But experience also shows that common to all these retreats or recollections is the fact that at the end of the activity, one normally hears comments like, "Can we extend?" or "Bitin", or "Sana dito na lang tayo" (I hope we can stay here forever). In short, if possible, the participants would want to postpone even for a little while.
As my parishioners would say, when I was still a parish priest, "Kada bagting, kaon" (Each time the bell rings, we eat). But I think it is not only the eating which makes a retreat something to miss, since that part is something they can always do at home anyway, maybe even more often. It is not only the physical comfort or the experience of being away from daily concerns that makes a difference, but more so the experience of being in a state of an unfamiliar "peace". When we invite speakers, we see to it that we get the best ones, Our Campus Ministry Office would always prepare beautiful liturgical and other para-liturgical exercises and we see to it that they are well-prepared for a meaningful reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, And of course, what more can one ask after a foretaste of heaven?
What about the "going-home-part"? Many have actually turned into "Peters". Remember when Peter told Jesus, "Rabbi, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"? They also wanted to stay on Mt. Tabor! Home for some means worrying again for the next meal, or being back to a nagging wife or a suspicious husband, or dealing with a troublesome neighbor, or returning to a pile of papers for evaluation and signature, or doing lesson plans. In short, home could mean going back to the harsh realities of life.
No, they just have to go back. They just have to bring back with them that newfound peace- the peace that is the result of the realization that this Jesus Christ taught to them by their catechist, by their parents and teachers, by the books they read, by the movies and videos they watch- this Jesus Christ is God. In fact, He is the Son of God. He was introduced to them and they have seen and experienced the truth of that during the retreat, confirmed just as it was confirmed to Peter, James, and John who heard a voice from heaven saying "This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to Him."
No. Don't stay. Rather, go back and face the realities of home- this time as a better and stronger person, because you know that somewhere up there, a reward is waiting.
-Fr. Bar Fabella, SVD (DWC, Calapan City)
