MORE ON THE TRANSFIGURATION (Orthodox Contributions)

http://incommunion.org/2016/08/06/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-transfiguration/

Thanks to Jim Forest

August 6, 2016

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Transfiguration

By Nicholas Sooy      

A light appeared from above and everything changed. In the sky there was a great cloud, and the light radiated forth brighter than the sun. There was a thunderous sound, as if the heavens had opened. “This is my son whom I love, listen to him,” said the voice. The disciples fell to the ground. Christ then said to them “Do not be afraid.” This event on Mt. Tabor was a great mystery to the world, the Transfiguration.

The Transfiguration is not just a sign that Christ shows us the Divine, but a sign that we too will one day shine in the radiance of Divine life. The Church teaches that every human is the bearer of the image of God and is the real Body of Christ. The Earth too bears that image, for it bears us, it is the chalice which holds the most sacred thing in creation- life. Orthodox Christians believe that all creation will be transfigured, and that if we just “listen to him,” we will love all humans, love all creation, love all life, and honor the sacred beauty therein.

71 years ago today, on the feast of the Transfiguration, a light appeared from above and everything changed. In the sky there was a great cloud, and the light radiated forth brighter than the sun. There was a thunderous sound, as if the heavens had opened. In an instant 66,000 souls fell to the ground, never to get up again. The city of Hiroshima was obliterated by a single bomb, the A-Bomb. The land was disfigured, irradiated. Over 100,000 ended up perishing from its effects, and those who survived it were changed, bearing the disfiguration in their bodies. This Bomb was a great mystery to the world, and through it the United States meant to speak to the world and to say “Be afraid.”

Hiroshima did not face the A-Bomb because of the grave threat the city posed. Some months before, the Americans decided that they should drop the weapon once they had built it, to see what would happen. The primary goals of the bombing were to strike fear into the Japanese, forcing them to surrender, and to strike fear into the world, establishing the dominance of the United States. Hiroshima was ideally suited to these ends, due to its compact nature. Nuclear weapons expend most of their energy at the epicenter of the blast, and so a special city would be required to showcase how disfiguring the weapon could be. As a bonus, there were weapons stored in the city which would later be claimed as the main target of the attack.

Hiroshima was chosen to be the site of revelation to the world. The bomb had been revealed to a select group in New Mexico earlier that summer. The scientists and officials watched with great reverence and devotion. One blind woman miles away said she saw the light as well. A semi-official report of that first blast read “Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief.” The operation was named Trinity.

The Orthodox Church teaches that the Transfiguration is a second Theophany. At Theophany, the Trinity was revealed to the world. At Transfiguration, it was revealed to a select group.

Visit Hiroshima today, and you may still see the disfiguration. As Robin Wright recounts,

>>    Everything about Hiroshima is haunting, particularly the stories and remnants of extinguished young lives collected in the museum. There’s a battered lunchbox belonging to Shigeru Orimen, who was in his first year of junior high. His mother was able to identify the boy’s burned body because he was still clutching it. There’s a shredded school cap and uniform on a skeletal mannequin. They were assembled from meagre rags of clothing left on three boys, aged twelve to fifteen, who happened to be a thousand yards from the bomb’s hypocenter above Hiroshima. There’s a re-created panorama of a woman and child fleeing the blast. Covered with soot and dust, their skin is scorched and bloody, their hair, fried, stands on end, and ripped pieces of clothing hang off their bodies as they attempt to escape the fires consuming the city. The eeriest display is a ghostlike shadow imprinted on a stone step as the blast vaporized the human being who had been sitting there.

Also present in the museum is a small, charred tricycle. It belonged to a three year old boy who had been outside riding it when the 16 kiloton bomb, called “Little Boy” by the Americans, was dropped on the city. His father would find him later in the rubble, on death’s doorstep, still clinging to the handlebars of the tricycle. What did the world gain with the death of this child and the many other children of the city?

Overhead, another American plane accompanied the B-29 bomber. This plane was there to silently observe the effects of the bomb. It was named “Necessary Evil” by the Americans.

Three days later, another bomb was dropped over Nagasaki. The crew were all Christians and just before leaving, they sat with two Christian Chaplains who blessed them and their mission. Nagasaki was home to the largest Christian community in Japan. Over half of the Christians in Japan were killed by the bomb, succeeding where 200 years of intense persecution by the Japanese government had failed. The steeple of the Cathedral of St. Mary was used by the bombers for targeting. The bomb exploded directly over the Cathedral, which was the largest Christian Church in the orient at the time, with over 15,000 members. Exactly one week before Hiroshima was bombed was the feast of St. John the Soldier of Constantinople. St. John was canonized for his refusal to kill Christians and other innocents and for disobeying orders to do so. Some of the crew expressed doubt about the bomb they were dropping, but “orders were orders.” Orthodox Christians were among those killed in the blast.

Orthodoxy was brought to Japan by St. Nicholas, a Russian. He was a voice of peace, having once nonviolently disarmed a Samurai through his preaching. He was protected by the people during the anti-Russian sentiment that reined during the Russian-Japanese war, for he was beloved. The bomb was not as merciful to the Christian population.

The bombs disfigured land and people, and before long disfigured truth as well. The Orthodox Church unequivocally condemns the use of nuclear weapons, as does the Catholic Just War theory. Yet the bomb is commonly viewed as a great gift to the war. Contrary to this, Dwight Eisenhower, who was the Army Chief of Staff for Truman, wrote “Japan was already defeated and . . . dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary.” Japan had been appealing to the Russians, who were neutral at the time, to negotiate Japanese surrender since the beginning of the summer. Four days before the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan sent a communication to the ambassador in Moscow, “It is requested that further efforts be exerted … Since the loss of one day may result in a thousand years of regret.” Japan had been ready to surrender for some time, but was reluctant to accept the unconditional surrender the Allies demanded. The Japanese wanted to surrender on the condition that the Emperor be allowed to live, and that the traditional religion based around him not be abolished. Only a little diplomacy could have prevented a summer of destruction.

Japan hoped that Russia could guarantee these terms. When Japan did accept unconditional surrender on August 15, the Leavetaking of the Transfiguration, it was not because the bombs had been dropped, but because Russia had declared war on Japan, and all hope at a better diplomatic solution were dashed. After the bombing on August 6, no action was taken. 66 cities had already been destroyed by firebombing that summer, and the Japanese generals, professional soldiers, did not care about city bombing. Their troops were still well positioned, and civilian casualties were inconsequential. The fire-bombing of Tokyo killed more people, 120,000 total, than the bombing of Hiroshima killed. The Japanese simply considered the A-Bomb as no great threat. Hiroshima was just the 67th city destroyed, and it was not the worst bombing that summer. It merely suffered a different type of bomb. But, when the Russians declared war on August 8, action was taken immediately. The next morning, the Japanese leaders gathered to discuss unconditional surrender. The tide had been turned by the Russians. Later that afternoon, after their discussions, word would reach these leaders that Nagasaki had been bombed as well. Of course, later the Japanese would claim that the bombs had turned the tide of the war. Such a lie pleased the Americans who then controlled the country and were responsible for rebuilding it. The appeasement worked. Emperor Hirohito was allowed to live, and the royal family was not abolished.

In the ensuing years, wars were waged over the bomb. An arms race broke out in the world, to be won by those who could disfigure the world the most, even destroy it. Proxy battles were fought in Vietnam, Korea, and Afghanistan. We still live in the shadow of the bomb today. But there is not just shadow, but also the light of Tabor.

Today we celebrate. The Transfiguration is a promise to a broken world. A promise that all scars will be healed, all divisions overcome, all wars ended, and all souls restored. The Earth will no longer be a crucible of destruction, but the realm of the Kingdom. Atomic radiation will not shine forth from broken bodies, but the uncreated light from transfigured ones. Men will no longer aspire to harness the power of God, but will kneel before their king. There will no longer be cause to be afraid.

Today we remember. Once again the human race had looked upon itself and the world it inhabited with fear, hatred, and violence, and resorted to the most heinous mass execution of civilians that had ever occurred in an instant- the fruits of our dehumanizing fear. Against this, we find the words of the Transfigured whispering to us, “do not be afraid.” Let us pray that we do not need another great cloud and light before we “listen to him.”

Nicholas Sooy
contributing editor, In Communion
journal of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship

The Scandal of the Transfiguration

Fr. Stephen Freeman 

My bishop recently shared the story of a young man whom he taught some years ago. He was Orthodox from Estonia. He grew up in the Soviet era and had come to hate all things Russian, including the Orthodox Church. Nevertheless, he saw an Orthodox procession in the streets of his city one year, a procession that included the Russian bishop (whom he also hated and believed to be a KGB agent). However, he saw the bishop surrounded by light. It was an experience that led him into the Orthodox faith. You might hate the man, and the Church as well. But the undeniable glory of God revealed what his hatred could not see.

My bishop’s point in sharing the story was not to exonerate the Russian Church from any wrong-doing, or cooperation with wrong-doing. Nor was it to exonerate the bishop involved and declare him holy. It was a story about the glory of God and its place and work despite our faults and failures. The 12 apostles cast out demons, healed the sick and cleansed lepers. We are nowhere told that Judas did none of those things. Doubtless, he did (which makes his betrayal all the greater).

There was a heresy in the early Church that denied the efficacy of the sacraments if they were performed by sinners. The debate was largely about those who, under the pressure of persecution, had in any way denied their faith or yielded to the requirements of the pagan state. It is an easy line of thought to maintain. If we are commanded to be holy, surely there are consequences for failure to observe the commandment. There are indeed consequences within the canons of the Church, but those consequences do not include an inefficacy of the sacraments.

The scandal of the Incarnation, God-becoming-man, is the seeming contradiction of the utterly transcendent God and the particularity and limits of human existence. It is a scandal whose errors  run in two directions.

First, there is an assumption that God is so displeased with sin that He can have nothing to do with it, or that sin somehow nullifies the work of God. Second, there is an equally odious belief that human beings, in their observance of the commandments, are ever righteous enough to actually be compatible with true holiness. The first is an error about God, the second an error about human beings.

I’m always troubled to hear “there is no grace outside the Church.” I can’t fathom what such a statement means. Since the entire universe is sustained by the grace of God, I can only assume a sort of heresy of secularism by such a statement – the notion that anything can exist apart from God’s grace. For His own mysterious reasons, God even sustains the fallen angels by His grace. If it were not so, they would cease to exist. Only God has existence in and of Himself.

I can say “there is no grace outside the Church” only if I also say that everything in all of creation is inside the Church. In fact, I believe this to be true. The Church came into existence when God said, “Let there be light.” The sacraments do not make us to be what we are not, but reveal us to be what we truly are. Baptism and Chrismation are indeed required of those coming to Holy Communion, for they are fundamental realities in the medicine of immortality and the path of life God has given us. But the person who is Baptized does not somehow become other than what they are. They become more fully human, more truly what they were created to be. “The Holy Spirit completes that which is lacking,” it is said in our prayers.

There are boundaries which we describe as “the Church,” but this meaning is being used to specify that which is identified with the fullness of life in Christ. “Church”, in this usage, is “that which is reconciled.” St. Paul says that the end of all things is that they be “gathered together in one in Christ Jesus.” This is the Church, in the end.

Too frequently we speak of the Church in denominational terms, in which we speak of people who are reconciled in the fullness of Orthodoxy as though their “membership” constituted the whole of the Church. But St. Paul extends the Church to “all things.” Thus, the grass and the trees (and certainly the flour and the wine) are being gathered together into Christ. The Eucharist is not a gathering meant to exclude everything else. It is a gathering that represents everything else. “Thine own of Thine own we offer unto Thee.” What is there within all of creation that is not God’s own? Indeed, the members of the Church who gather, are themselves but the “first fruits” of the whole Adam.

And so we have the reality of glowing bishops who might be hated in Estonia (just as many other bishops might be hated elsewhere). The transfiguration (for such was the scene in that procession) of God’s creation is simply shocking to us. It is a manifestation of the love of God that ignores all scandal, except that which does not love. It is a transfiguration that gives light and that burns.

Many take a cold comfort in the fact that the transfiguring light of God burns some. However, it most often burns the eyes of those who judge the fitness of those transfigured. They become blind in this very manner.

The Transfiguration of Christ would generally be deemed to be free of scandal. He appeared on the Holy Mount with Moses and Elijah – how could the disciples not rejoice. But the text describes a scandal.

As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:29-31)

Christ, in turn, spoke to the disciples about His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem, and Peter rebuked Him! The great scandal is always the scandal of the Cross. There is no path to true union with God that does not go through the Cross. This is true finally of all those who are transfigured as well as for all who hope to ever see a transfiguration.

It is of note that the Greek beneath this translation does not say that Christ was speaking with Moses and Elijah about His “decease.” The text calls it His “exodus.” It is not a casual word choice. His journey into death is the Great Exodus, the path through the Red Sea that drowns the mystical Pharaoh. It is the Lord’s Passover.

That Passover is the path to transfiguration. Moses himself, after the Passover, leads the people to a different holy mountain. There he received the Law written by the very finger of God. When he came down from the mountain his face was transfigured and the people were afraid to look at him – and asked him to please wear a veil.

In Christ the veil is removed, except for those who wear a veil covering their heart (2Cor. 3). But God is so merciful, He sometimes removes the veil so that angry young men on the streets of Estonia (which is everywhere) may see His glory and live.

http://blogs.ancientfaith.com/glory2godforallthings/2016/08/06/the-scandal-of-the-transfiguration/

AN AMERICAN MONASTERY THAT FOLLOWS THE RULE OF ST BENEDICT CLOSELY

The Role of Monks in the Church

 I have chosen to borrow this page from the website of "Christ in the Desert" monastery in northern New Mexico because, according to our own abbot who visited it, it is a monastery very like our own monastery in Pachacamac on the outskirts of Lima, Peru.  Of course, "Christ in the Desert" is bigger, more developed, more mature; but, generally speaking, the observance is roughly the same, more the same than different.  We too have no outside observance, and for the same reasons.

O that today you would listen to His voice.—Psalm 94When I am lifted up I shall draw all men to myself.—John 12:32I have loved you with an everlasting love.—Jeremiah 31:3

All men and women are called to holiness, to be holy as God is holy. This is the source and goal of our human dignity. Some are called to serve the world by devoting all their energies to preaching the Gospel and tending the poor and needy. Some are called to bring new life into the world through married love. A few, however, are called in love to follow a road less traveled, to give themselves over to God alone in joyous solitude and silence, in constant prayer and willing penance. Such are the monks of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, whose “principal duty is to present to the Divine Majesty a service at once humble and noble within the walls of the monastery” (Perfectae Caritatis §§ 7 & 9).

In responding to God’s call to holiness, a contemplative monk fulfills an important role in the Church: he visibly witnesses in his life to the absolute priority of God to any created thing. The contemplative life, then, is the highest form of life that a Christian may live. It is called “the angelic life,” because our contemplation of God will continue in heaven and throughout all eternity. The life of the contemplative monk is already a foretaste of what is to come.

It is for this reason that Christ looks at a man with love and invites him to leave everything he has and to follow Him, to surrender radically to God in His mission for the salvation of mankind. (Mark 10:21). As the monk grows closer to God in love, he both draws God closer to the world and the world closer to God. Thus it comes about that we, too, even though we abstain from exterior activity, exercise nevertheless an apostolate of the very highest order, since we strive to follow Christ in the inmost heart of His saving mission.

Some website visitors read through this vocations section just to learn more about the monastic life at Christ in the Desert. They often wish to support us so that this life can be offered to a world greatly in need of such vocational opportunities, especially for the youth of today. You may do so here and be assured of our gratitude.

Our way of Life at the Monastery

The word monk (from the Greek μοναχός) refers to singleness of heart. A monk is single in several senses: by being celibate; by being single-minded or pure of heart in his dedication to God; and also by a desire for a simple life focused on the ‘one thing necessary’, as Jesus calls it, for eternal life. (Luke 10:42). In modern language a monk lives a life of integrity (wholeness) which he finds in relation to God. Importantly as well, a man desiring to become a monk does not enter an order, but a specific monastery. Thus the way of life or charism of a particular monastery is of greatest importance in the process of discernment.

Our Abbot Philip has declared: “Monastic life, as lived at Christ in the Desert, is relentless.” That mirrors the fact that we must be relentless in our search for God every day. When men come to join our community, sometimes they are in for a rude awakening because our life is so very active. One person called it a daily marathon — and it is. Contemplative life does not mean sitting around and thinking about God all day long or even being on our knees and praying to God all day long. Rather, contemplative life for us is the challenge of remembering God in all that we do, say and are during the whole day — while we go about the normal things that monks do. Those normal things are common prayer, common work, common meals, meetings, private prayer, Scripture reading — and of course, some sleep!

The first thing that will strike any visitor to our monastery is that we pray constantly. Christ in the Desert is only one of a handful of monasteries of men in the Americas that still faithfully prays the full psalmody every week as we were instructed to by St. Benedict. (RSB 18:23). Beginning in the early morning, well before sunrise, the monk’s day of prayer begins, when all of nature is silent and the monk is free to meet the living God. Because we gather in our Abbey Church eight times a day to chant the Psalms and celebrate Mass, it is only natural that the monk is molded by this rhythm and his whole life becomes a prayer taken up into that of Christ and the Church far beyond the limits of his understanding. He thus stands before God with and on behalf of all people.

Secondly, at least four hours of the monk’s every weekday is spent in labor. As the Rule says: “The Brothers should have specified periods for manual labor as well as for prayerful reading … when they live by the work of their hands … then they are truly monks,” (RSB 48). The Monastery of Christ in the Desert has no employees; all of its day to day work is done by the monastic community. The work engaged in by the monks any day might include cooking for the community, working in the vegetable gardens and on the grounds, painting cells, building walls, cleaning the guesthouse, working in the leather or tailor shops, clearing brush or making rosaries.

Thirdly, no guest leaves the Monastery of Christ in the Desert without noting the peace of the place and the joy of the community. The life of a faithful contemplative monk is joyfully lived in silence, prayer, work and contemplation while holding the deep needs of the world in his heart. The monk has the joy and support of living in the company of like-minded men, men who believe in prayer, who delight in serving their brothers and giving a witness to God’s love for mankind in the presence of our loving God.

How Can I Discern My Vocation?

novices with their novice master

My words are addressed to you especially, whoever you may be, whatever your circumstances, who turn from the pursuit of your own self-will and ask to enlist under Christ…”

(RSB: Prologue)

The great mysteries of our faith, such as the Incarnation and the Trinity, are realities of profound beauty for the believer. A vocation, on the other hand, is not so mysterious. When speaking about a life of celibacy, Our Lord simply concludes: “He who is able to choose this, let him choose it.” (Matt. 19:12). A vocation is primarily a matter of choice — both ours and God’s. While God has called all Christians to holiness, He invites those who can accept a life of poverty, chastity and obedience to choose that life. Since it is an article of faith that none of us can undertake any good thing without the illumination and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, (Council of Orange, 529 A.D. Canon 7; John 15:15), we can know with assurance that any wholesome desire to live the monastic life is a gift of God.

novice class on the Rule of St Benedict

So if at some level you feel drawn to the monastic life, there are three simple and practical things that you can do to determine that such a prompting is from God.

The first is to avail yourself of grace. Participate in the sacraments fully, attending daily Mass if you are able, and going to Confession frequently. Develop your prayer life. Thank God for His great kindness and the many gifts He has given you. Pray that He may help you to be as generous with your life as the Father was in giving His Son to us. And if you are really bold, ask God to bless you with a religious vocation.

the sign of peace

Secondly, and in line with prayer, acknowledge God as a Father who truly loves you and wishes to shower you with graces. Since you are God’s child, humbly ask Him to make His will known to you. Be assured He will answer you, as He will do anything that we ask in Christ’s name. (John 14:14). The way God often speaks affirmatively to us is by granting us the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives: “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22).

Thirdly, when Our Lord called His first disciples He told them to “come and see” how he lived. So get to know monastic life. Read the Rule of St. Benedict (especially the Prologue and Chapter 58). Read the lives of saintly men and women whose lives may inspire you. Do not be afraid to reach out to the Vocation Director of the monastery and discuss with him your sense of your vocation. He will be able to encourage you and help you think over carefully what is involved. And a natural thing to do is to come and see how monks live. Arrange to spend some time at the monastery, experiencing the rhythm of prayer and work of the monks.

A Prayer of Discernment

–by Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I actually am doing so. For I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you, and I hope that I have the desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadows of death. I will not fear, for you will not leave me to face the perils alone. Amen

Stages of Formation

After the community comes to know a prospective candidate, he can be invited to live with us for a time in the cloister. Once in the monastery he will participate fully in the life of the community. This stage is referred to as the Observership, and it usually lasts for a month or two depending on each individual. Next comes Postulancy, which is a period of one year. Postulants wear a simple black tunic (cassock) and leather belt, and attend classes with the novices and participate fully in the work and prayer of the monastery.

If the Abbot and his Council determine the postulant is ready, the postulant may petition the community for entry to the novitiate. The Novice receives a new monastic name along with the black tunic, belt and short hooded scapular. During this period of formation he will study the Psalms, chant, liturgy, monastic history and the Rule of Saint Benedict.

During initial formation (Observership, Postulancy and Novitiate) the brothers live in the Old Cells and St. Antony’s Novitiate, both of which are north of the main dormitory cloister of the monastery proper. St. Antony’s has its own chapel where the brothers in initial formation do Lectio Divina (sacred reading) together in common, as well as a gym. In addition to weekly classes, on Sundays and Solemnities the brothers in formation go on hikes together, play volleyball or, in summertime, swim in the Chama River.

At the end of the one year of novitiate, when the Chapter — that is the monks in solemn vows — approves his petition, he may make Simple Vows for one year. At the time of his Simple Profession he is clothed with a black tunic and the long scapular of the professed monks. Classes for the simply professed cover a wide range of topics, including monastic and Church history, liturgy, patristics, philosophy and theology — allowing the monk to focus on a particular field of interest. Simple Vows are renewed each year, normally lasting for a period of three years.

The next stage in a monk’s life begins with his Solemn Profession. This commitment is for life. A Benedictine monk takes the vows of Obedience, Stability, and Conversion of Life. (RSB 58). It is at this point that the monk is given a long black choir robe, known as the Cuculla or Cowl, and assumes the responsibility of a chapter member, those who meet with the Abbot and vote on important matters in the monastery.

God has blessed our monastery with many wonderful vocations. It is perhaps because of our humble way of life and great fidelity to monastic tradition that we have attracted so many vocations. Currently we have six postulants, ten novices and six brothers preparing for Solemn Vows, and during the last 25 years we have made three monastic foundations (two in Mexico and one in Texas) and have helped revive four other contemplative monasteries.

Requirements

Test the spirits to see if they are from God.

–John 4:1

A vocation involves three parties: God who calls, the person who is called, and the Church which, guided by the Holy Spirit, determines whether the call is genuine. In this case, the Church is represented by the Abbot and Community. The testing of a vocation is an interplay of human and divine freedoms and, of necessity, takes some time.

There are, however, some objective criteria which are essential for a genuine vocation to our monastic life. A candidate must be male, single, Roman Catholic, and have received the Sacrament of Confirmation. He must be free from all binding obligations to his family and should not be in debt. In addition to this he should have lived a good, moral, Catholic life for a number of years and, normally, have shown that he is capable of earning his own living. Our life is joyful and rewarding, but it is also demanding, and therefore a candidate needs robust mental and physical health and an ability to live with others in community. Usually he will be between 20 and 35 years of age. He will need the intellectual ability to gain spiritual benefit from two hours of spiritual reading (Lectio Divina) a day and to be able to participate fully in the Mass and Office. Count Montalembert, in his Monks of the West (1872), said that to be a good monk one needs the characteristics of simplicity, generosity and a sense of humor. That still holds true today.

If you are interested in a vigorous monastic life with much prayer and emphasis on seeking God, if you are drawn to common prayer with brothers who are seeking God, if you can accept obedience and humility, then perhaps this is the community for you. If you would like information about joining the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, please contact our Novicemaster. 

Just to prove that monks have been doing this for a long time, here is a video about Coptic monasteries:
 


   This video gives you a taste of our monastery in Pachacamac

AUGUST 6th THE FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD: THE CHRISTIAN PARADOX

THE TRANSFIGURATION by Dom Alex Echeandia O.S.B.

Feast Day: August 6

The Transfiguration of Christ is the culminating point of His public life, as His Baptism is its starting point, and His Ascension its end. Moreover, this glorious event has been related in detail by St. Matthew (xvii, 1-6), St. Mark (ix, 1-8), and St. Luke (ix, 28-36), while St. Peter (II Pet., i, 16-18) and St. John (i, 14), two of the privileged witnesses, make allusion to it. 

About a week after His sojourn in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them to a high mountain apart, where He was transfigured before their ravished eyes. St. Matthew and St. Mark express this phenomenon by the word metemorphothe, which the Vulgate renders transfiguratus est. The Synoptics explain the true meaning of the word by adding "his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow," according to the Vulgate, or "as light," according to the Greek text.

This dazzling brightness which emanated from His whole Body was produced by an interior shining of His Divinity. False Judaism had rejected the Messias, and now true Judaism, represented by Moses and Elias, the Law and the Prophets, recognized and adored Him, while for the second time God the Father proclaimed Him His only-begotten and well-loved Son. By this glorious manifestation the Divine Master, who had just foretold His Passion to the Apostles (Matt., xvi, 21), and who spoke with Moses and Elias of the trials which awaited Him at Jerusalem, strengthened the faith of his three friends and prepared them for the terrible struggle

of which they were to be witnesses in Gethsemani, by giving them a foretaste of the glory and heavenly delights to which we attain by suffering.

LOCATION OF THE TRANSFIGURATION

Already in Apostolic times the mount of the Transfiguration had become the "holy mount" (II Pet., i, 18). It seems to have been known by the faithful of the country, and tradition identified it with Mount Thabor. Origen said (A.D. 231-54) "Thabor is the mountain of Galilee on which Christ was transfigured" (Comm. in Ps. lxxxviii, 13). In the next century St. Cyril of Jerusalem (Catech., II, 16) and St. Jerome (Ep. xlvi, ad Marcel.; EP. viii, ad Paulin.; Ep. cviii, ad Eust.) likewise declare it categorically. Later St. Proculus, Patriarch of Constantinople (d. 447; Orat. viii, in Transfig.), Agathangelus (Hist. of Armenia, II, xvii), and Arnobius the Younger (d. 460; Comm. in Ps. lxxxviii, 13) say the same thing. The testimonies increase from century to century without a single dissentient note, and in 553 the Fifth Council of Constantinople erected a see at Mount Thabor (Notitif Antioch. . . . patriarch.). 

Some modern writers claim that the Transfiguration could not have taken place on Mount Thabor, which, according to Josephus, was then surmounted by a city. This is incorrect; the Jewish historian speaks neither of a city nor a village; he simply fortified, as he repeats three times, "the mount called Itabyrion" ("Bell. Jud.", II, xx, 6; IV, i, 8; Vita , 37). The town of Atabyrion of Polybius, the Thabor or Celeseth Thabor, the "flank of Thabor" of the Bible, is situated at the foot of Mount Thabor. In any case the presence of houses on a wooded height would not have made it impossible to find a place apart.

It is again objected that Our Lord was transfigured on Mount Hermon, since He was at that time in its vicinity. But the Synoptics are all explicit concerning the lapse of time, six days, or about eight days including those of departure and arrival, between the discourse in Caesarea and the Transfiguration, which would infer a somewhat lengthy journey. Moreover the summits of Hermon are covered with snow as late as June, and even the lesser peaks of 4000 or 5000 feet are likewise snow-covered in February and March, the period of the Transfiguration. Finally, the ancients judged of the height of mountains by their appearance, and Thabor especially was considered a "high mountain", if not by David and Jeremias, at least by Origen and St. Jerome and the pilgrims who made the ascent.

THE CHRISTIAN PARADOX

The feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated on August 6th because it is 40 days before the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.   The two feasts have been twinned, as it were, because the Passion of Christ is the inner meaning of the Transfiguration, and the Transfiguration reveals to us the inner meaning of the Cross.   Together they show us the Christian Paradox which runs throughout the Gospel.

There are obvious similarities in the scene of the Transfiguration and that of the Garden of Gethsemane.   In both, Peter, James and John are chosen witnesses when Jesus goes apart from the rest in order to pray.   In both scenes, the apostles' reaction is to fall asleep.   Then there is sheer contrast: the theme of the Transfiguration is light, while the theme of the Passion is darkness; the theme of the Transfiguration is awe and joy, the theme of the Passion is fear and sadness.   In the Transfiguration, they hear God's voice affirming his Son, "This is my Son, the Beloved.  Listen to him;" while  in the Passion, we hear the voice of the Son, "My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me."  In the Transfiguration, the overriding theme is glory; while crucifixion was the most humiliating death in the Roman world.

 However, in St John's Gospel where there is no Transfiguration, the theme of glory and that of the Cross become one: it is by the Cross that the Father and his Son are glorified.  This is the Christian paradox.  In the darkness, the pain, the humiliation of the Cross, the Father revealed his true Nature in and through his Son as kenotic, self-giving: fully operative on the Cross is the Blessed Trinity.

What is the light of Mount Tabor?   It  is the self-emptying love of the Father manifested in the Son through the power of the Holy Spirit.   What is the darkness of Christ's death on Mount Calvary?   It is the self-emptying love of the Father stooping down to embrace the human race in its need, which is floundering in its denial of God and in its pathetic self-assertion that ends in death, and reconciling it to himself in the "Yes" of his Son that leads to resurrection and eternal life.  

In the Resurrection, Christ does not switch off his obedience unto death so that it becomes simply an event of the past, having served its purpose.  It becomes a permanent dimension of his being and goes on to transform his human nature in the power of the Holy Spirit, realising its true potential as light and glory.   The darkness of the cross becomes the light of the resurrection, and death is transformed into life.   This is the Christian paradox.g

It starts with the Holy Trinity  in which the Father pours his whole being into his Son by his eternal act of self-giving, the Holy Spirit, who, residing in the Son, becomes the act of the Son's total dedication to the Father.

The French Jesuit Jean Daniélou (1905-74) wrote that "Without a doubt the master-key to Christian theology, which distinguishes it utterly from all rational theodicy is contained in the statement that the Trinity of Persons constitutes the structure of Being, and that love is therefore as primary as existence."  The Orthodox theologian Metropolitan John Zizioulas draws out the logical consequences of this in "Being as Communion"

The question remains, What kind of love?  It is not the kind of love that loves in order to receive, but a love that loves in order to give, to bestow, to enable.  It is the kind of love that enabled Mary to be the Mother of God; that enabled the Logos to take on human nature and, in doing so, to be united to every human being that ever existed or will exist, thus allowing him to live, to die and to rise again on behalf of all; that allows bread and wine to become Christ's body and blood and those who share in this body and blood to become one body with him, bringing about the Church, and, by ascending through  death and resurrection in Christ, uniting it to the Father (Epistle to the Hebrews).  This love is the self-emptying love of God, active as the Holy Spirit.

This Christian paradox is seen everywhere and in every aspect of Christianity.   There is a liturgical piety which puts all emphasis on the resurrection of Christ, "Christ is Risen!"; and this is absolutely central to Christianity.   

There are those who put all their emphasis on Christ's Passion and centre their piety on images of Christ's suffering and death; but this would make no sense if Christ had not risen - it is just that they can identify with Christ's suffering better than with his resurrection; but what fills them with hope and joy is that Christ has risen, because the love by which he freely suffered has conquered suffering and has given meaning to their suffering also.   The suffering and the darkness they experience in the present are in Christ the prelude to joy and light.   The titles they give their images of Christ's suffering and death express their belief in th Christian paradox: a buffeted and suffering Christ is called "the Captive Lord" or "the Just Judge"; an image of Christ dead on the cross is called "the Lord of miracles", "the Lord of Life", "the Lord of Agony". He is called "Lord" in his very weakness and death because Christ is Risen!

Hence, the transfiguration in light of St Seraphim of Sarov shows us the true meaning of the stigmata or wounds of crucifixion on the body of St Francis of Assisi, and the stigmata of St Francis of Assisi tell us that the experience of luminous transformation in St Seraphim indicates the extent to which he shared in the passion of Christ.  Transfiguration and crucifixion cannot be separated.

The Christian paradox also turns ecclesiastical authority on its head. If you follow all that Christ has to say about how his disciples should exercise their authority, and if you accept all he says as he says it, you will already know that Christian authority is fundamentally different from ordinary, everyday authority in the world.  I shall be content to simply quote Pope Francis.

To the Chaldean Church, suffering persecution in Syria, Iraq and other places,

Pope Francis told the Synod of the Chaldean Church to “empty and humble themselves” reminding them “the only authority is the authority of service, the only power is the power of the Cross”.
The Pope addressed members of the synod earlier today, speaking about the responsible use of authority in the Church, saying that “journeying together is an easy concept to put into words, but not so easy to put into practice”.
The Holy Father urged them to “keep always before you the image of the Good Shepherd who is concerned for the salvation of his sheep … May you imitate him: zealous in seeking the salus animarum of priests as well as laity, realising full well that the exercise of communion sometimes demands a genuine kenosis, a self-abasement and self-spoliation.

He gives this message fairly constantly: Christian authority is kenotic, it enables, it does not impose, it allows, it is ready to step aside, hoping that people will learn from experience.  It does all this because that is what God does, and we can only follow God's lead.

"The only authority is service."   Christ taught this when he washed the feet of his disciples:
"You do not understand what I have done?  You call me Master and Lord, and rightly:so I am.  If I, as Master and Lord, have washed your feet, you should wash each other's feet..  I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you."

Pope Francis, talking about his universal ministry, has said that the basic question about his universal jurisdiction over the whole Church can realistically be asked in a different way, How many feet can he wash?   When the question is asked within an evangelical context, when Christian authority is modelled on Christ's authority rather than on worldly authority, it ceases simply to be a threat to other churches.   

"The only power is the power of the Cross."  We have an icon in our chapel in Peru called "The Marriage of the Lamb."   In it, Christ is quite dead, but standing in his tomb.   ('Dead but standing' is a reference to the Lamb in the Apocalypse which is hailed as the Lion of Judah but appears as a gutted lamb: Apoc. 4, 6).  His Mother, dressed in the clothes of a Byzantine bride, embraces the standing body.   Although dead, there is a glimmer of light deep within the body, ready to burst out and transform the body at the moment of resurrection.  However, this is not apparent now.   All we see is Christ's obedience unto death and Mary's assent to her Son's death in life.   This brought about a union of the two that is likened to marriage: Mary becomes the new Eve, the personification of the Church in her relationship to Christ's Adam.  This self-identification with Christ on the Cross which we celebrate in the Eucharist is the very source of all the Church's powers.  Fundamentally, all the Church's powers are different ways of exercising that love and obedience 'unto death' which Christ put into practice on the Cross and to which Mary assented, becoming by that fact Mother of all Christians.  When the popes forget this, they cease to be recognisable as a Christian institution.  The Church is a visible entity, but it only becomes visible to the world by living the Love that Christ revealed on the Cross.

Hence, Pope Francis told the Polish bishops recently, we must take on aggressive modern secularism, not primarily by criticising those who are its victims, but by out-loving them.  Let modern human beings come to realise that God loves them infinitely more than the secular world does.  When people realise this, they will come to Christ in droves; but the Church itself must manifest this crucified Love to the world, because it is its only Light capable of transfiguring the modern world.

A SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF THE TRANSFIGURATION/CROSS
IN RAVENNA: ELIAS AND MOSES ARE ABOVE THE CROSS
THE THREE SHEEP ARE PETER, JAMES AND JOHN

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THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD, 2014