Be Transfigured Ministries

Thank God You’re Not like Those Sinners

Where ever you look, you are surrounded by sinners. You spend your days fasting and keeping all the “rules” of the Church, and every night you thank God that you’re not like those sinners you know it the world. Did you ever stop to think, YOU might be sinning? Did you ever consider the YOU were the one that needed to repent? As the Triodion period begins, and Orthodox Christians begin to prepare themselves for the coming of Great and Holy Lent, the Church reminds of the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee. One went home justified, and I’ll give you a hint....it wasn’t the one who kept all the rules.

Can You Hear God Calling?

The world is filled with distractions, from busy street sounds to hectic lifestyles, many of which can stop us from hearing God’s voice. The story of Zacchaeus teaches us the benefit of filtering through all the commotion in our life so we can focus on God. Until we can eliminate the clutter from our lives, we will continue to be lost, unable to hear God calling us to safety. The Orthodox Christian way of life offers us an opportunity to learn to filter through these distractions of wealth and comfort, and welcome God into our hearts.

Nobody is Turned Away by God

Do you sometimes feel that God won’t listen to your prayer? Do you sometimes feel that your sins are keeping you from coming to Church? Then this week’s episode of Be Transfigured! is for YOU! In the story of the Ten Lepers, Christ reveals that there is nobody who will be turned away from God.

We Have Seen the Light

During every Divine Liturgy we sing the words, “We have seen the Light,” but it is what we do AFTER the Divine Liturgy with the Light that really matters. Many who have received the Light of Christ, fail to make good use of the Light in their lives. Some even reject it. Just as with any gift we receive or plan we make, it requires more than just good intentions for us to be successful and for the Light of Christ to grow within our hearts. All good intentions aside, if we do not make good use of the Light that has been given to us at our Baptism, Jesus will take it away and give it to someone who desires for it to grow. What have you done with the Light you have received?

We are not Worthy of God’s Love

The first sermon of St John the Baptist, as he was preparing to baptize Jesus Christ, he commanded his followers, “Repent; For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” When he spoke about Jesus directly he admitted he was not worthy even to untie Jesus’ sandals. YET....many of us declare ourselves worthy of every blessing. However unless we admit that are not worthy, and that we must repent, we cannot truly welcome the appearing of Jesus Christ into our lives. Without repentance, there is no Kingdom of Heaven.

Rejecting Christmas

In the days following Christmas, many people wait in long lines to exchange the gifts they received for Christmas. Many exchange their gifts merely because they wanted something different, rejecting the original gift. Just as Herod rejected the original gift of Christmas by killing 14,000 innocent children, many times WE reject Christmas by killing our neighbors with harsh words and thoughts. Has Christmas changed the way you live, or have you rejected Christmas?

What is Righteousness?

Just days before Christmas, the Church invites us to consider the righteousness of Abraham and Joseph the betrothed of Mary. These two holy ancestors of God lived their life dedicated and loyal to the promise of God, despite the reality they never set their eyes on God’s promise. The Birth of God ushers in the beginning of God’s fulfillment for an end to death and beginning of a new eternal life in Christ. Though Abraham and Joseph never witnessed the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom, we too may not witness the fullness of the Kingdom, but we are called to be righteous. God will fulfill His promise, and our willingness to embrace the righteousness of Abraham and Joseph, will prepare us to receive the fullness of God’s eternal comfort and love. Do YOU what it takes to be righteous this Christmas?

Excuses....Excuses....Excuses

We have all heard them, and we have all used them. Excuses are a convenient way for us to “get out of” doing something we don’t want to do, or going somewhere we don’t want to go. But when God invites you to join Him, it’s time to put the excuses aside and join Him. Don’t be left behind when the ship sails, just because you have an excuse. Otherwise, you will hear the Lord say, “None of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.” Don’t watch the ship sail away on the horizon. Put your excuses aside and live the life Christ has for you in His Church.

Your Sins are Forgiven

It goes without saying that the trials of life can weigh a person down. As every day passes, the weight of each small sin and mistake, takes its toll on our backs as we feel our burdens heavy upon our shoulders. Bent over under all the pressure, we just can’t seem to find the strength to look up at God and sing His praise. We may even be ashamed by some of our decisions in life, and we can’t lift ourselves up without God’s healing touch. We all enjoy hearing the words, “Your sins are forgiven,” from our Lord, and we all desire even more the healing touch of our Lord’s hand. Thankfully He has given us His Church and the Holy Sacraments through which we can feel His touch, and through the hands of our Father Confessor, we can not only feel God’s Grace, we can hear the words, “Your sins are forgiven,” and we can finally lift our eyes to God and give Him praise and thanks.

Come and See....There is Good News on the Horizon

When the Apostle Andrew saw Jesus Christ for the first time, he couldn’t help but run to his brother Simon Peter and tell him the Good News. “We have seen the Messiah!” The Apostles joyfully spread the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout the world, even though their personal lives were filled with pain and suffering. Each of the Apostles, with the exception of Saint John the Theologian was martyred for sharing the Good News. Sometimes we wonder....is the news really good? Just like the lives of the Holy Apostles, our lives are filled with pain and suffering, and we might wonder why Saint Paul told us to imitate him. The truth is that God has saved us from this pain and suffering and promised a NEW life with Him in Heaven. We haven’t been saved for this world; we have been saved from this world. All our pain and suffering is temporary. There’s Good News on the horizon; Come and See!