Awakenings

by Father Thomas Keating

Events in Jesus' Ministry

Chapter 11

The Hidden God

About eight days after he said this, he took Peter, John and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying, his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzlingly white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to depart from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my chosen Son; listen to him. "After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.
(Luke 9:28-36)

    This text has always exercised a great appeal for contemplatives from both East and West. Notice the key words that apply to contemplative prayer. Listening is the chief work of contemplative prayer. It is a steppingstone or diving board into the spiritual level of our being. Notice also that a cloud overshadowed them. A cloud is a favorite image of God's presence beyond concepts. The apostles wake up and are enlightened. There is also talk of sleep, not an infrequent companion of contemplatives during prayer.

    Jesus, the son of God, emptied himself in order to enter the human family. The dazzling glory that poured out from every pore of his body and transfigured his clothes is coming from a power that was always present in him, but normally well hidden. This is one of the few occasions in which he allowed his ordinary glory to come through and manifest itself. If Moses had to veil his face after conversing with God, what would the son of God have had to do in order not to frighten people away? Jesus' emptying is the letting go of his divine prerogatives in-so-far as these could be manifested in a human being. This event is one of the great mysteries of faith comparable to Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, and Pentecost.

    Notice the three disciples whom he brings with him to the mountain. You might be inclined to say, "Lucky guys! They were worthy, I suppose, to go." But take a look at their resumes. Peter aspired to be the right-hand man of the Messiah. He got what he wanted but not until he had been through the threshing floor of humiliation. As for James and John, they were just one step away from being terrorists. They wanted to bring down fire from heaven and destroy the Samaritan towns that were inhospitable, the equivalent of dropping an atomic bomb on them.

    So do not exclude yourself from this invitation. In the persons of the disciples with their long list of human failings, everybody is invited to the holy mountain. Everybody is invited to experience the transfiguration, to enter the cloud, to hear the voice of God, to share the silence that fell upon them, and to tremble with their fear. Their fear was not the emotion of fear that separates from God or prompts one to run away, but rather the awesome fascination of the mystery that draws one irresistibly into the cloud and that longs to touch and taste the mystery that is hidden in the darkness. Contemplative prayer accesses God in a darkness that is luminous and enlivening; it is not just a blank, a trance or deep sleep.

    If the divinity of Christ is hidden in Jesus in such a way that no one saw it except on the occasion of the transfiguration, how much more can it be hidden but truly present in those who participate in Christ's life through faith?

    The grace of the transfiguration is the radiance of Christ's hidden presence in us. Let us see how this works out in our experience. We also are entering the cloud. We also are listening to Jesus at the command of the Father. Peter wanted to stay there for good. "Let's camp here," he said, "and build a booth for Moses, Elijah, and for Jesus." Peter's hospitality greatly exceeded his authority; he did not own the mountain. His words express his desire to continue to enjoy the pleasure of the moment. When contemplative prayer is consoling, peaceful, meaningful, radiant, the false self quickly identifies with this delightful situation and wants it to go on forever. The point to keep in mind is that the divine energy is just as present (as it was in Jesus' ordinary life) when it is not perceived. When God's gracious goodness overflows or radiates for a few moments, hours, or days, this does not mean that consolation is all there is to contemplation. What we feel is our own interpretation, not the essence of the mystery.

    Just as the apostles were always in Jesus' presence as they toured Galilee, we too are always in his presence. But the perception of his presence is reserved to special moments. Mature contemplatives of all times have identified the transfiguration as one of them. We participate in the transfiguration by the experience of spiritual consolation. But we must not let the false self try to hang on to this exuberant gift unduly. Having appreciated and enjoyed it, we must allow the prophets to go back to where they came from, Jesus to come down from the mountain, and ourselves to return to the humdrum events of everyday life and to our accustomed state of prayer, which by any standard is usually a mess. The mess effectively hides the divine presence just as the sacred humanity of Jesus-- his body, his dirty feet, and unruly beard-- hid his divinity Jesus was no prize package to behold during his ministry and especially not during his passion and death. Similarly, daily life is Jesus hidden in our ups and downs, under the appearance of unwanted thoughts, the unloading of the unconscious, and the spasms of pride and lust. The divine action is always present, but our faculties perceive it only when the grace of the transfiguration is infused into us. We should think of prayer primarily as our participation in the passion and death of Jesus. The resurrection does not come first. It comes after we share in his passion, too late to make the spiritual journey an easy trip, but at just the right time from the point of view of humbling the incredible pride of the human species.

    Once we commit ourselves to the journey, we have to shake off our expectations and mind sets and allow God to be God in us. We plug into the divine energy by consent, not by feeling or experience. This energy is totally available all the time on one condition-- the consent of faith. Out of that faith comes the power to surrender to the work of transformation. The grace of the resurrection, manifested in us by the fruits of the Spirit, is not consolation; it is the strength that comes from being rooted in Christ by faith beyond feelings, concepts, or any experience, however spiritual.

This chapter is taken from the book Awakenings by Fr. Thomas Keating. You can obtain a copy from the Bookstore.  See Awakenings