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Transfiguration
January 26th 2003
I was sitting and reading the Epistle and Gospel
yesterday, trying to put myself in the disciples' places, trying
to imagine what it was like to see, actually see, Jesus' transfiguration.
Truly, all I could think of was that I would do as the disciples
did-I would fall down and hide my face in awe. Imagine not only
being with Jesus and experiencing his holiness firsthand but also
watching as he became filled with, overshadowed by, the Christ,
the veritable Second Person of the Trinity. How fortunate were those
three who were allowed to witness this and, of course, later to
bear witness as well, to share the wondrous tale for us who aspire
to become like Him someday.
Geoffrey Hodson in his book The Christ Life from Nativity to
Ascension has a chapter on the Transfiguration. Briefly he says:
In these verses descriptive of the Transfiguration of Christ,
the purely historical record is elevated into an account of the
spiritual experience passed through when an illumined state is
entered, here by the Christ and, to a lesser degree, by the three
disciples. Christ's selection of Peter, James, and his brother
John for participation in the Transfiguration scene suggests that
these three disciples may have attained to varying degrees of
enlightenment and were more advanced than the other members of
the group. They may have already passed through preceding degrees
and were thus permitted to enter the temple where the higher degrees
were being celebrated, in order to perceive something of the great
event. As recorded by Saint Matthew in the apparently simple and
certainly brief account, the experiences of Jesus himself are
not given, but only those of the three disciples. This could indicate
that he ascended to levels of consciousness and passed through
an initiatory degree to which they had not yet attained.
An indirect reference to the custom of establishing centers, temples,
or as Peter called them; tabernacles of initiation may be discerned
in these verses. The mystical experience that is said to have
followed, namely a bright cloud and a voice, doubtless also refer
to that interior expansion of consciousness that is produced by
passage through the great initiations. The verse may indicate
that Jesus himself had successfully achieved this, as the voice
of the unnamed speaker, presumably the Lord God, proclaimed this
fact.
The disciples themselves may have been so elevated in consciousness
by receipt of the privilege of witnessing the exaltation of Jesus,
their Master, that they became temporarily endowed with extrasensory
perception. The supernormal sights and sounds thereby revealed
to them may well have excited an awe, referred to as fear. After
the ceremony or interior experience was concluded, the heightened
awareness would tend to be reduced, which, with the visible presence
and the touch of Jesus, would restore them to normality.
Restoring us back to normality, I decided that I would also address
the other intent for the third Sunday after the Epiphany, Sincerity
and Control of Speech. Who among us does not need a gentle reminder
about curbing our tongues? The Epistle not used today from Ecclesiasticus
is worth sharing, so I will read from it here.
He that can rule his tongue shall live without strife, and he
that hateth babbling shall have less evil. Rehearse not unto another
that which is told unto thee and thou shalt never fare the worse.
Whether it be to friend or foe, talk not of other men's lives;
and if thou canst without offense, reveal them not. If thou has
heard a word, let it die with thee. Admonish a friend, it may
be he hath not done it, and if he have done it, that he do it
no more. Admonish thy friend, it may be he hath not said it; and
if he have that he speak it not again. Admonish a friend, for
many times it is a slander; and believe not every tale. There
is one that slippeth in his speech, but not from his heart; and
who is he that hath not offended with his tongue?
By our words, we make ourselves, our hearts, known to the world
we live in. Those words, once uttered, cannot be unsaid, undone,
so it behooves us to make them lovely, truthful, helpful. So often
I think of Krishnamurti's little book, At the Feet of the Master,
when I look for practical guides for living an upright life. He
says:
You must be true in speech, too-accurate and without exaggeration.
Never attribute motives to another; only his Master knows his
thoughts, and he may be acting from reasons that have never entered
your mind. If you hear a story against any one, do not repeat
it; it may not be true, and even if it is, it is kinder to say
nothing. Think well before speaking, lest you should fall into
inaccuracy.
You must guard, too, against certain small desires that are common
in daily life. Never wish to shine, or to appear clever; have
no desire to speak. It is well to speak little; better still to
say nothing, unless you are quite sure that what you wish to say
is true, kind, and helpful. Before speaking think carefully whether
what you are going to say has those three qualities; if it has
not, do not say it.
Never speak ill of anyone.; refuse to listen when anyone else
speaks ill of another, but gently say: "Perhaps this is not
true, and even if it is, it is kinder not to speak of it."
Finally the White Eagle books also afford me great inspiration.
In Golden Harvest I found a few thoughts for today.
Preserve a heart of love and compassion and keep your thoughts
good, constructive, and loving. You can render no greater service
to God or man.
Rise above the babble of the market-square, and abide in the quiet
places of the spirit where you will hear the voices and know the
companionship of the Shining Ones. If you can do this you will
become a channel for the healing of men's souls and bodies.
Do not be anxious or question your way; neither grow weary. Live
in the Christ radiance and His power will sustain you. You will
be guided by the Brethren in all you do. Accept and follow the
Christ way.
I believe this final quote from White Eagle will bring us back to
the Transfiguration and give us thoughts to take with us as we go
back out into the world.
There is no power greater than the Christ light. Control and command
over the physical and spiritual atoms are achieved not by power
of man's earthly mind but by the very essence of the lowly spirit
of the gentle Christ.
We understand how easily weariness of mind and body can possess
you, for we ourselves have not forgotten our earthly experiences.
We understand the heaviness of matter, and how it weighs you down.
Yet saints and sages have evolved bodies that have become so light
and vibrant that they live and move between the physical and etheric
state. This same process of evolution is continually going on
in all physical matter; all humanity is progressing upwards in
its return to the divine Father-Mother God.
Whatever problem lies before you can be solved by the Christ love,
the great and only true solvent of all problems. The life, the
power of the Christ spirit can never be destroyed. Man's body
may die, people may disappoint him, and his world may pass away,
but the spirit of the Son of God can never fail. His light is
life. Live in this light forever!
And now to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost,
three Persons in one God, be ascribed all honour, might, majesty,
power and dominion, now and for evermore.
Amen.
Judie A. C. Cilcain
January 26, 2003
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