Monday, February 25, 2013

Transformed

Friends of Faith:

Converted, transformed, and transfigured—changed!
“Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.” Lk 9: 28-29

Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us. For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.”Their minds are occupied with earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.
“Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord.”
Phil 3:17-4:1
This is what Christ asks of us: To be imitators of him, to be transfigured, to become dazzling white. What a goal, what an image Christ gives us of the glory that awaits us.

And as this passage tells us, in his tears, St. Paul sees our destruction. He is able to see those who conduct themselves shamefully as enemies of Christ.
Sometimes I feel very much as if my heart will break just as Christ’s must be while he watches our world disintegrate in immorality and in the shameful actions around us.

Sometimes I shed tears for myself as I realize that I too have fallen in sin and have failed to live out an opportunity he has given to me to be his imitator.
And just as I feel those tears, I turn around and am given the opportunity to reach out to Him for His mercy and to be forgiven through the reception of freely given grace in the sacrament of reconciliation.

And in the past two weekends, I was also given the opportunity to witness the metamorphosis, the change, the conversion, from the unnoticed caterpillar to the beauty of the glorious butterfly in others as they were converted by their participation in powerful Christian Experience Weekends (CEW).
The stories of conversion, the transformation and the movement of the Spirit through these weekends is a gratifying, hope-filled witness to what real life Christian transfiguration is today.

The weekends, by the witnesses within them, make me stand up and notice that Christ does reveal himself when we have our eyes open, when we are ready to notice, when we are ready to take action, so that good will triumph over evil if we are willing to let him enter our lives.
CEW and reconciliation are both present day revelations and reminders of all that Christ promised us with his death on the cross.

Heavenly Father, You are the law, You are our citizenship. We are created in your image and in your likeness. Help me to live up to that image. Help me to open my heart to be receptive to Your Spirit. Help me to notice all of the greatness you have placed around me. Thank you for the revelations of those you have transformed who witness to me and who give me hope. Help me to not be discouraged by the evils of this world, but to always seek hope in Your name. Amen.

Our citizenship is truly in heaven. May we stand firm in the Lord, because His law is true law.
This week be transfigured by the image of Christ and become an imitator of Christ.

Blessings,
Charlotte

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