The Mystery of Christ
The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience

by Father Thomas Keating

Chapter 2 Part III

The Easter-Ascension Mystery

The Transfiguration

    Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. He was transfigured before their eyes. His face became as dazzling as the sun, his clothes as radiant light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them conversing with him. Upon this, Peter said, "Lord, how good it is for us to be here! With your permission, I will erect three booths here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
    He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them. Out of the cloud came a voice which said, "This is my beloved Son on whom my favor rests. Listen to him."
    When they heard this the disciples fell forward on the ground, overcome with fear. Jesus came toward them and laying his hand on them, said, "Get up! Do not be afraid." When they looked up they did not see anyone but Jesus. 
[Matt. 17:1 - 9]
Gospel of the Second Sunday of Lent

    On the first Sunday of Lent we were invited to accompany Jesus into the desert, there to confront the basic framework of the human condition: the emotional programs for happiness that develop around the instinctual needs of early childhood and eventually grow into energy centers. We continue to react, think, feel and act out of these centers of motivation unless we take ourselves in hand and try to change them. Jesus, being fully human, had the roots of these emotional programs in himself as he grew from infancy to manhood.

    This text is the continuation of the invitation of Lent to undertake the inner purification that is required for divine union. On the mountain Jesus was "transfigured", that is to say, the divine Source of his human personality poured out through every pore of his body in the form of light. His face became dazzling as the sun. Even his clothes shared in the radiance of the inner glory that was flowing out through his body. By choosing this text for the second Sunday of Lent, the liturgy points to the fruit of struggling with the temptations arising from our conscious or unconscious emotional programming and of dying to the false-self system. Repentance leads to contemplation.

    The Transfiguration manifests the kind of consciousness that Jesus enjoyed, which was not bound by the three-dimensional world. The spacious world of unity with the Ultimate Reality enabled him to be in direct contact with all creation, past, present and future.

    The Transfiguration also reveals the state of mind and dispositions of the apostles who are paradigms of the developing consciousness of those who are growing in faith. In this experience, they are given a significant glimpse of the world beyond the limitations of space and time. At first they are overjoyed by the sensible consolation that floods their bodies and minds in the presence of the vision of Christ's glory Then the implications of this new world with its demands dawns upon them, and they are terrified. At the end of the vision, they experienced the reassurance of Jesus' presence and touch. This presence vastly surpassed the ephemeral sweetness of their initial taste of sensible consolation. Their exterior and interior senses were quieted by the awesomeness of the Mystery manifested by the voice out of the cloud. Once their senses had been calmed and integrated into the spiritual experience which their intuitive faculties had perceived, peace was established throughout their whole being, and they were prepared to respond to the guidance of the Spirit.

    Notice the influence of the false-self system at work in Peter. He was overwhelmed by the light emerging from the presence of Jesus. Like the other apostles, his senses were delighted. He saw the wonder of Moses and Elijah appearing and talking with Jesus. Both prophets had experienced forty days of purification, one on Mt. Sinai, the other on his long trek to Mt. Horeb. In the spiritual world there are no barriers of time or space; everyone is interrelated.

    Peter's reaction to the vision was, "This is great! Let's make it permanent. Let us make three booths: one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah." Although this suggestion was very hospitable, it was singularly inappropriate. As was his custom, Peter moves to center-stage. Without being invited, he takes charge of the situation: "Let's build three booths."

    Suddenly a cloud overshadowed Jesus, the prophets and the three apostles. It silenced Peter. A voice said, "This is my beloved. Listen to him." The apostles fell forward on their faces in an attitude of awe, praise, gratitude and love, all rolled into one.

    The apostles remained in this position until Jesus touched them. "Don't be afraid," he said. They looked up and saw no one but Jesus. This experience of God may be scary at first but quickly becomes reassuring. Actually, there is nothing to be afraid of because we were made for divine union.

    Here we find the basic pattern of the Christian path. Jesus, by his example and teaching, approaches us from without in order to awaken us to his divine Presence within. The Eternal Word of God has always been speaking to us interiorly, but we have not been able to hear his voice. When we are adequately prepared, the interior Word begins to be hear. The external word of scripture and the interior Word arising from the depths of our being become one. Our inner experience is confirmed by what we hear in the liturgy and read in scripture.

    Revelation, in the fullest sense of the term, is our personal awakening to Christ. The external world of God and the liturgy dispose us for the experience of Christ's risen life within us. It is to this that the spiritual exercises of Lent are ordered. The awakening to the divine Presence emerges from what Meister Eckhardt called "the ground  of believing"--that level of being which in Christ is divine by nature and which in us is divine by participation.

More information can be obtained by reading the book The Mystery of Christ by Fr. Thomas Keating.  It is offered in our Book Store.