Written by Sr. Marie Paul Grech, SND
Are you ready for the pain and the delight of transformation?
In the Gospel account of Jesus’ transfiguration, we see that he was transfigured in order to reveal himself to the disciples. This event reminds us that we need to be transformed into the image of Jesus, whose disciples we are.
A story is told of a working man who was strongly drawn toward a beautiful vase that he saw in the town market. He bought the vase and brought it home. The vase was so beautiful that it made his living room look drab, dull and indeed, plain ugly. So he got bright paints, colorful curtains, and new carpet and transformed the whole room. Because of the beauty of the vase, the whole room was totally transformed.
C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, uses the same analogy when speaking of transformation:
IMAGINE YOURSELF as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised.
But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.
You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but he is building up a palace. He intends to come and live in it himself.
Each of us is like a drab room or house…longing for transformation! Each of us can also be like the vase…so beautiful in God’s grace that we help the transform the world!
In the Hands of the Potter 
Leave a Reply