More on "New Spirituality: life against death" in The Source of Life by Jurgen Moltmann. For Orthodox mysticism as Gregory Palamas taught it, the light that shone on Tabor transfigured not just Christ's soul but his body and clothing too (Matthew 17:2ff), as a visible anticipation of the 'transfigured body' of the risen Christ (Philippians 3:20), into which 'our lowly bodies' will be transformed. A spirituality along these lines cannot have anything to do with the suppression of the body and the senses, but will already seek here and now the transfiguration of life. This comes about when we open our bodies and senses as well as our souls to receive the Holy Spirit, preparing them to be his earthly temple. In the divine love for life we sense how his eternal living stream penetrates us through and through. Opening our 'bodies and senses as well as our souls' to receive the Holy Spirit is risky because nothing is left out or left behind. When the Spirit takes us up into the realm of new life that is wholly holy, we can never be quite sure what will come of us. Sure we know that we will be pulled into God's Reign. And yet, we do not know what part we will play in that coming Reign - or how we will be transfigured in the midst of it all. Having said that, we are encouraged to come and live within this ever-expanding presence of God's reign. When we say with our whole body and soul, it mean the whole of us - living in the transfigured image of God's people. Connection: Every part of our lives becomes changed and renewed as we enter into the realm of God's grace in Christ, Jesus. Take that to heart. Spirit of God renew us and refresh our lives that we will find in the midst of our everyday life the joy of your eternal Reign. Amen. |
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