Transfigured by divine love

The common theme of this Sunday’s readings is transformation through God’s love. In responding to divine love, both Abram and Saul broke with the experiences of their past lives, thus transforming the world. We are also reminded that choosing to follow Jesus all the way to the Cross transforms us and radiates the grace of the transfigured Lord in our own lives.

At the age of 30, medieval mystic Julian of Norwich fell seriously ill and was administered last rites, but soon after made a full recovery. She went on to become an anchoress, devoting herself to a life of prayer and composing a theological exploration of the visions of the Passion of Christ that she had received during her illness. The Catechism of the Catholic Church cites her Revelations of Divine Love in its discussion of how God draws good from evil:

Here I was taught by the grace of God that I should steadfastly keep me in the faith... and that at the same time I should take my stand on and earnestly believe in what our Lord shewed in this time – that “all manner (of) thing shall be well.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 313)

Pope Benedict XVI has described her work as follows:

Julian of Norwich understood the central message for spiritual life: God is love and it is only if one opens oneself to this love, totally and with total trust, and lets it become one’s sole guide in life, that all things are transfigured, true peace and true joy found and one is able to radiate it. (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, December 1, 2010)

Julian of Norwich showed such faith in divine love in the wake of the Black Death, the most deadly pandemic in human history. Successive outbreaks of the plague were re-decimating the English population all around her when she fell ill. Later, as an anchoress, she lived in self-isolation, as we have all done to a greater or lesser extent since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While self-isolation can be truly hard, it can also be a time of spiritual discovery.

Lent is a time for us to remove ourselves a bit from the world for the purpose of meditating on divine love. In this Sunday’s Gospel reading on the Transfiguration, we are called to listen to Jesus. It is really hard to do so, however, if we are too busy or exhausted.

This Lent, slow down and allow space for silence. Reflect on your experiences during the pandemic. Where is God calling you today? Responding to this call opens up possibilities for God’s redemptive love to transform our lives.

a faithful Catholic from the diocese of Montreal