"Jesus knows that this world is harsh"

In the Gospel today, Jesus reveals His divine nature to Peter, James, and John as he is transfigured on a mountain flanked by Moses and Elijah. Peter asks to build three tents so that they can stay on the mountain and be with Moses, Jesus, and Elijah forever. However, they cannot stay. They must listen to Jesus as he leads them back down the mountain to a different hill - to Calvary.
              We all want to experience a "Hallmark Channel" Christianity where we get to stay with Jesus on the mountain forever where everything is perfect, there are no real dangers, and all suffering is forgotten. We desire a Christianity where there is no cross and no sacrifice. But Jesus, if He is going to save us, and the Church, if she is going to save us, has to come down the mountain and be wounded in order to heal the world.
Jesus knows that this world is harsh. We need the occasional mystical experience, the occasional spiritual consolation, to keep pressing on. However, feeling good is not the goal of our faith. The goal of our faith is true friendship with Jesus. This means we have to listen, embrace our cross, and follow him. Eventually, we desire our friendship with Christ to deepen to the point where we can say it is also good that we are here at the foot of the cross with Him - because true friends stay with each other in good times and bad. Jesus offers us far more than an escape from this world. He offers us friendship with God. And friends share each other's sufferings, as well as their joys, out of love.
 
God bless,
Fr. Scott