Contemplative in the Mud

Transfigured and a Source of Joy

1–2 minutes

Benjamin Embley

, , , , , , , ,
1 comment on Transfigured and a Source of Joy

antonio6In one of his sermons, Saint Anthony of Padua says of Christ,

His very physical appearance, on which the angels desire to look, is a source of joy.

This reminds me of Mount Tabor. Christ took James, John, and Peter up Mount Tabor and was transfigured before them. He shone in glory. His appearance was bright, visible, luminous, and pure. That must be how he is in Heaven. He was glorified, and it affected the visible features of his sacred body.

To some extent, this is what is supposed to happen to us here below. We are supposed to be, by our very physical appearance, a joy to others.

Now, of course, this joy isn’t merely carnal, it’s spiritual!

And of course, barring any miracle, we do not physically shine like Jesus on Mount Tabor!

But still, our very physical appearance is meant to be “a source a joy,” real spiritual joy, for others. It might come from the smile we give, or the eyes that are paying attention to our Lord (in Heaven, in the Eucharist, or in our neighbours), or the gentleness we radiate around ourselves unconsciously, or the hard-earned lines on our face and around our eyes which come from paying attention to others. It could be any of these, or it could be something else. But may we not feebly imitate Christ, whose “very physical appearance, on which the angels desire to look, is a source of joy”?

Benjamin Embley's avatar

Posted by:

Benjamin Embley

With backgrounds in engineering (BSc PhD) and philosophy (MA), Ben has lived and worked in England, France, and Thailand and is now back home as a settler in the unceded traditional territory of the Wabanaki peoples in Canada. He is a Laudato Si’ Animator and currently studying an MTS Peace & Justice in Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

One response to “Transfigured and a Source of Joy”

  1. sandyfaithking Avatar
    sandyfaithking

    Reblogged this on multicolouredsmartypants and commented:

    Knowing that this is enough is a huge relief. Knowing that this is enough is also a huge challenge. Too often it is tempting to want to be more, and often it is tempting to be discouraged because we know we are less. I like to think of it as like a pot, like the Romans would have had, an amphora: a vessel which is designed to be useful. The trouble is, we’re all broken. But God puts us together again and the Holy Spirit shines through the cracks. The more jagged the cracks are, the more He shines, and not only are we now useful, but the cracks are bursting with His light. Jesus shines through the cracks in a completely unexpected and unique way.

    Reply

Leave a reply to sandyfaithking Cancel reply