You,Too, Can be Transformed!
03/29/2015
St. Mary of Egypt (St. Mark 10:32-45) – may be the greatest example of ‘deep sin’ and of true Transformation or Transfiguration ever recorded. How interesting it is that on this crucial Sunday – the last Sunday of Lent; the Sunday preceding the joy of Lazaros’ resurrection and Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem, the fathers of the Church have selected one of history’s greatest sinners to be remembered and honored on this special Sunday.
St. Mary of Egypt, the stunningly most beautiful of harlots, was so transformed by the word of God that she devoted her life to Christ by leaving the world and becoming a monk in the Egyptian desert. After her conversion to Christ, she lived the most virtuous life, which was so vividly inspiring to the other monks, that she is recognized as one of the greatest saints of the Church. The theme of the Prodigal Son is re-echoed again as a statement of God’s profound love and forgiveness – no matter how deeply one may have sinned; there is always room for repentance and our return to God.
Let’s take a practical example. Claude Monet’s “Poppy Field” is a small painting about 19.7 inches high by 25.5 inches wide. When you look closely at the painting, say about 6 -10 inches away, it becomes a bit blurry and indistinct because your eyes focus on the brush strokes and colors used by Monet. It is only when you take a few steps back that the beauty of this wonderful painting becomes clearly distinct.
Likewise, when one is so overwhelmed with their sins and weaknesses, the image of God might become blurred in their life. But when one awakens to the realization of how far they have gone away from God, of how important God is to life and how desperately we need God in our life, the focus on God becomes crystal clear. There is no time table for one to be transfigured and transformed…it could be instantaneous… but I think that it may take a lifetime for most of us. May God grant that each and every one of us, according to His Divine Will, will find our spiritual life becoming more and more transfigured and transformed according to His Divine Image.