THREE MOUNTAINS

Psalm 121

1     I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From where will my help come?

2     My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth. 

You Lord, show us your help from three special mountains, Mount Zion, Mount Tabor and Mount Calvary. When we gaze upon them with the eyes of faith we see our cause for Hope since we see your self revelation to us. We see faith, hope and charity made, as it were, visible before the eyes of your people. And we learn a message valid forever that you are God with us and always will be. 

Psalm 48

2     Great is the LORD and highly praised in the city of our God: The holy mountain,

3     fairest of heights, the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, the heights of Zaphon, the city of the great king.

4     God is its citadel, renowned as a stronghold.

Psalm 68

16   You high mountains of Bashan, you rugged mountains of Bashan,

17   You rugged mountains, why look with envy at the mountain where God has chosen to dwell, where the LORD resides forever?

Upon Mount Zion the Ark of your Covenant rested, upon Mount Zion was your Temple built. And in Mount Zion did you dwell in present but inacessible splendour.

1 Kings 8

10   When the priests left the holy place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD

11   so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud, since the LORD'S glory had filled the temple of the LORD.

12  Then Solomon said, "The LORD intends to dwell in the dark cloud;

Your people had their eyes of faith turned towards the Holy Mountain. You were present yet hidden. You were their God but unlike the gods of the nations you were accessible not to the senses but only by the Spirit, through obedience of the heart, that is humility. To the proud you were then, as you still are today, invisible. To the poor humble faithful ones you were a close and loving Father.

Psalm 99

6     Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel among those who called on God's name; they called on the LORD, who answered them.

7     From the pillar of cloud God spoke to them; they kept the decrees, the law they received.

8     O LORD, our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God, though you punished their offenses.

9     Exalt the LORD, our God; bow down before his holy mountain; holy is the LORD, our God.

Like a father you taught and punished. As the first and model of fathers you forgave with a Divine forgiveness. Looking up to the mountain from whence does our help come? From the mighty one of Zion. What does our heart perceive? The dark cloud where you dwell. You who are light are hidden from us who are darkness and sin. When shall we see you Lord, when shall you be light for us?

Matthew 17

1     After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

2     And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

3     And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

4     Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

5     While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

6     When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.

7     But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid."

8     And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

And so in hope we turn our eyes to Mount Tabor. The dark cloud which conceals your awesomeness has become the bright cloud that conceals your light, Lord. You are what we hope to become. You are glorified by the Father, you are well pleasing to the Father, you are at the summit and end of the Law and the Prophets. In you Mount Zion is eclipsed. In you is light and hope and there is no shadow in you. Lord we turn our eyes to Mount Tabor and now indeed we see no one else but Jesus alone. You are enough, you are more than enough, you are pressed down and overflowing pure gift. You are our Saviour God and when we lift up our eyes to Mount Tabor we see indeed from where our help shall come, glorious and humble is He.

Zechariah 9

9     Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, Meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass.

10   He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; The warrior's bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

And Mount Calvary, Golgotha, the Place of the Skull. Darkness as a cloud covered the Light. On that high place you who dwell in inaccessible light could barely be seen in the darkest gloom of noon. On that mountain we looked up and hope froze, faith wavered and love seemed defeated by hate. Only Mary, anguished yet serene knew that the Mountain of failure, of defeat, of unbearable loss was also the Mountain where Love stronger than death would win its greatest triumph. Only Mary, a faithful daughter of Abraham who offered his beloved son on a mountain too, knew that this Mount Calvary was the place where Heaven and Earth united never again to separate. This Tree of Life, Lord, with you as its life-giving fruit is now the mountain to which we lift our eyes, in sadness at human sinfulness certainly, but still more in a glad thanksgiving that on this bloody hilltop, this scene of the crime we witness the effecting of our final and complete liberation from every bondage whether of mind, body or spirit.

Faith, Hope and Charity. Zion, Tabor and Calvary. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Oh sweet saviour of my soul, if I live forever I can never sing a song of thanks beautiful enough or sweet enough or long enough to adequately express what I should feel and do feel about your self-giving Love towards we poor wretches for whom you bear indeed that one thing stronger than death, pure love.

Jesus, gentle Jesus, I love you.

All Scripture from the New American Bible