Transfiguration

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high mountain, James, Jesus, John, lamp, Luke, Mark, Matthew, Peter, pray, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transfiguration, vision

One of the extraordinary events in the life of Jesus, chronicled in all three of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), is known as the Transfiguration. That word when broken apart speaks to a process of changing form, which is what happened to Jesus and was witnessed by the apostles Peter, James and John one day on a high mountain where they had gone to pray. It is a familiar story. For those interested in detail, it is a great chance to question and muse about the what and why of the incident as each of the three versions in the gospels has small, distinctive differences, none of which changes the substance of the event.

I’m one of those people who likes to pay attention to the small things in order to get a feel for the underlying sense of emotions and reactions to what was happening. Today’s recounting is from MT 17:1-9 where the first thing that grabbed me was the place where they went to pray. The text says they went “up to a high mountain” and I began to ask myself: Why a high mountain? Is it symbolic of Jesus, the “high priest” – or more simply was it just a place where they wouldn’t be bothered by crowds? Then more deeply: Did Jesus know what was going to happen there on that day? Was that the only time he experienced a visitation from Moses and Elijah or others of his ancestors in such a visual way?

Then there are the three companions, not just observers but participants in the vision. I find it fascinating that in Matthew’s version, Peter (true to his usual manner of reactivity) seems not to be afraid at all in seeing Jesus transformed into a being of light, his clothes dazzling white, standing talking to two men who have been long dead! Whether or not he recognized Moses and Elijah, his enthusiasm caused him to blurt out the fact that it was great to be there and to make the suggestion that they set up tents and stay! Interesting also is that, although the vision did not frighten any of the three, the shadow that overcame them and the voice of God speaking out of the cloud the message that This is my beloved Son; listen to Him, terrified them such that they fell to the ground and hid their faces. In the end, I picture a tender scene that the gospel reports as Jesus coming over, touching them (probably leaning over to pat them on their shoulders) and telling them there was nothing to fear. The vision had passed.

What are we to make of all this? I recommend the message of Peter in his second letter where he speaks about the message God spoke on that day. “This is my Son, my beloved, in whom I am well-pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain…You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2PT 16-19)

Could that be a call to our own visionary seeing? Perhaps a waiting transfiguration of our own life?

 

 

 

 

 

What Do You See?

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apostles, believing, faith, Jesus, mindfulness, perseverance, possibility, seeing, silence, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas, vision

While I’m not certain that the adage “Seeing is believing” came as a conclusion from the story of Thomas, the Apostle who was missing when Jesus appeared in the Upper Room on Easter evening, it certainly applies in that case. It’s difficult to believe what we have not seen with our own eyes (our physical selves) and thereby experienced as true. How is it that we come to believe what we cannot comprehend with our “ordinary minds?” Moreover, what is it that so stirs a person to envision the possibility of something that has never been done – and then to carry the process forward until that possibility becomes a reality? It seems that great inventors must not only be gifted with vision but with steadfast perseverance. And then there is the willingness of those who come after that visionary soul to continue the work. I think here of scientists and medical advancement and immediately my favorite example in a different but related sphere comes to mind. I’m fond of saying, “Kitty Hawk to the moon in 66 years” as the miracle of flight astounds me each time I feel the take-off moment from inside a plane.

As I ruminate on these examples and then circle back to Thomas, I find the two categories of vision not dissimilar. In the realm of faith there is necessity for vision, to be sure, since not all of us are gifted with direct visitations from other realms. Whether or not we are privileged to “see” with our physical eyes or come to know by inner seeing, perseverance in the practices of silence and mindfulness can open us to a deeper kind of insight that feels very much like certainty. Then it is only a question of our willingness to let go of that certainty that can allow us to fall fearless into the arms of God.

 

 

 

 

 

The Lion and the Lamb

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dead of winter, hope, Isaiah, judgment, life, Peace, peaceable kingdom, prayer, presence, signs, silence, strength, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, tree, vision

Today we have one of Isaiah’s more familiar, even famous, visions. It is his powerful vision of “the day of the Lord,” describing what has come to be known as The Peaceable Kingdom. (IS 11:1-10) There are so many vivid images, some that we see on Christmas cards, some we recognize from observation of the world around us.

I believe I have spoken here of the hibiscus bush (tree?) that was moved in our yard a couple of years ago. It seemed very clear that it did not survive the transition. The surge of hope that ran through me on the day I discovered not only leaves on one of the branches but also buds seemed excessive but for me it was a clear sign that life is in some ways an inside job and occasionally we have to trust what we cannot see.

Waiting for peace in our country and world seems as futile and far away right now as the possibility of cows and bears being neighbors or babies playing by a cobra’s den. It’s clear that while waiting (patience) is important, there is more to be expected of us. How peaceable is my approach to others? Do I jump to judgment in whatever I read? Are rumors ever my “stock in trade” or do I know how to be in silence – to dwell occasionally with oppositional thought until the walls in my mind or at least in my heart are dissolved like smoke? Do I ever connect myself energetically with people in other countries around the world where people seem so strange to me? What power does the word “enemy” have in my life?

Today I look out at the tallest of trees across the yard. She stands stripped of all her fair-weather clothing and each branch – even to the tiniest of shoots – is exposed. In the “dead of winter” I know that life remains in that tree, that she is shoring up her strength to be ready for the spring when she will bloom again. Where is my willingness to be like that tree today, able to stand strong, stripped perhaps of easy answers and solutions but willing to offer my strength of honest purpose, my prayer and presence to move my world just a step closer to the realization of Isaiah’s dream?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wait For It…

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faith mustard seed, fulfillment, Habakkuk, hear, Luke, Psalm 95, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Timothy, vision

All of the lectionary readings today urge us to recognize the gift of faith that is already in us and the courage we need in order to develop and maintain steadfastness in that faith. When the apostles say to Jesus, Lord, increase our faith, Jesus offers what we can only call hyperbole as a response, saying: If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea” and it would obey you. (LK 17:5-10) I wonder – because of such a strong retort on the part of Jesus – if this isn’t one of the moments of his frustration with the lack of comprehension of his message in those he has chosen to follow him.

St. Paul sounds a bit more placid but just as clear in his exhortation to Timothy: Beloved, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. God did not give you a spirit of cowardice but rather of power, love and self-control. (2TM 1:6-8, 13-14) Those three qualities would go far to stir up our faith if we practiced them consciously each day, remembering also the advice of Psalm 95:8: If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.

All of this advice and urging to faith will surely coalesce in us if we remember the promise of the prophet – a long-ago message that may give hope in our world today where we are always looking for the “quick fix” to our problems and difficult situations. I quote it last so that it will remain as first of what we might ponder today.

The vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. (HAB 2:2-4)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vision

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alchemy, creativity, discipline, evolutionary, Jan Phillips, mindfulness, No Ordinary Time, opposites, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, vision, visionary

As I was pondering the state of our nation this morning, I came across the following paragraph from my friend, Jan Phillips, and thought it was worth copying, in hopes that repeating it might offer the energy in what it says to more people, thereby strengthening the resolve for change in us. May it be so.

“It takes more than a vision to make a visionary. It takes a rigorous discipline of mindfulness and a meticulous undoing of old habits. It requires the capacity to not simply withstand the tension of opposites, but to become the mechanism for their transformation, to contain and direct the power that is generated as they fuse and ignite. Just as a battery cable needs to be connected to the positive and negative poles to give it the power to recharge a dead battery, so it is with us. If we learn to bring the opposites together in our own lives – to welcome ideas that differ, to embrace people from different cultures and creeds – then we learn, as well, the alchemy of evolutionary creativity.”
(No Ordinary Time, p.129)

P.S. For those of you within driving distance of Binghamton, NY:
Plans are in the works for an event with Jan in the spring of next year – so
stay tuned!

Watching the teacher

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humility, James, Jesus, John, love, Mark, mercy, mercy of God, Pope Francis, psalm 33, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, vision

The first line of Mark’s gospel for this weekend is a bit shocking. (MK 18:35) Although the disciples occasionally seem somewhat unaware of the mission they are sharing with Jesus, we don’t often see competition among them or total misunderstanding of their position vis-a-vis Jesus. When James and John, the sons of Zebedee come to Jesus and say, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you,” we might imagine a response (if we didn’t already know the whole story) of stunned silence or a harsh reprimand, with Jesus reminding them of their mission. On the contrary, Jesus asks them what they want him to do for them. Thinking that he is going to comply with their wish, they tell him that when he has achieved glory (obviously not in the way they have in mind) they should sit on his right and his left, that is, be his most powerful associates. Introducing his response to their hubris with the statement, “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus then gives them a glimpse of what is coming, drawing the other ten (indignant) apostles into the conversation about the nature of servant ministry – his purpose and vision for himself and us.

How different our world would be if we lived by the words of Jesus in this text! Consider the result if leaders in government, church and corporate America took to heart these words: “…whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant…” We have a great example in Pope Francis, who lives the humility of Jesus so well. His words ring true because of the way he lives his life and the manner of Jesus is reflected in his actions, specifically perhaps in his interaction with reporters and others in interviews. Like Jesus in this gospel, he does not often answer questions that speak to difficult scenarios but rather poses alternative questions like: “Who am I to judge?” Then he speaks of his vision for the Church which is grounded in love and mercy, a theme that resounds in this week’s psalm refrain. (PS 33:22) In his homily of April 7, 2013 during his initial Mass as the Bishop of Rome, his first words proclaimed this vision clearly.

What a beautiful truth of faith this is for our lives: the mercy of God! God’s love for us is so great, so deep; it is an unfailing love, one that always takes us by the hand and supports us, lifts us up, leads us on.

May we learn the lessons of humility and mercy, not judging others for their missteps but treating them as Christ and Pope Francis would. In this way, we will become faithful servants to God and to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

A Profound Repose

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act without motion, center, deepest activities, everywhere, fulfillment, Kathleen Deignan, loneliness, nowhere, profound repose, standing still, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, travelling, vision

“This is a country whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.
You do not find it by traveling but by standing still.
Yet it is in this loneliness that the deepest activities begin.
It is here that you discover act without motion,
labor that is profound repose,
vision in obscurity,
and, beyond all desire,
a fulfillment whose limits extend to infinity.”

~ Thomas Merton
(from Thomas Merton’s Book of Hours by Kathleen Deignan)