Be Transfigured Ministries

Ready or Not, Here Comes Lent!

On the day before Great and Holy Lent begins, Forgiveness Sunday, the Church offers us one final pep talk to prepare us for the Great Fast.  The success of our Lenten journey depends upon forgiveness, proper fasting, and placing the needs of others above ourselves. The time for preparation has past and now we are ready to make the most of our Lenten journey to Pascha.

You Have Been Warned!

God offers a rich blessing in describing for us how the final judgment will take place. “I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirst and you gave me a drink.” It is when our hearts have been tuned in to God and transformed into loving hearts that our actions toward others express the love the God has in our hearts. On the other hand, it when we do not allow God’s love to change our hearts that He says, “Depart from Me. I was hungry and you gave me no food.” When you hear this clear warning about the final judgment, do you a) put your faith into action and allow God’s love to change your heart, or do you b) remain focused upon yourself and wonder why Jesus would bother asking about feeding the poor? It’s your decision; it’s your future.

It’s Time to Come to Your Senses!

When the Prodigal Son was able to put aside his pride and “come to himself,” and return to his father, he was not only forgiven by his father, he was fully restored to his original place. When we can come to our senses and return to God He will not only forgive us, He will run and join us on the road and walk with us as we journey back to His House. The Triodion is a time for reflection and repentance and restoration by God. Engage the journey!

We All Need God's Mercy

The only way for us to benefit from our Lenten journey is to first put away our pride and admit that we need God’s mercy. We can’t go it alone on this one. Jesus uses the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee to illustrate just how difficult it is for to be justified by God when we allow our pride to rule our hearts. Jesus said it was the humble sinner, “went down to his house justified rather than the other.” (Luke 18.14) Don’t you want to be justified by God?

What are You Doing with What God has Given You?

Each of us has received gifts from God for the glory of His Kingdom and the work of His Church. Many of us waste time, either in fear or selfishness, when we keep these gifts hidden from others. The servants who use the gifts God has given for the glory of God and the good of others are blessed by God and invited to “enter into the joy of the Lord,” in the Kingdom to come.  God has given YOU gifts and is waiting for YOU to do something good with those gifts. So……what are YOU doing with the gifts God has given you?

Did He Just Call Me a Sinner?

Jesus’ commandment to “Love your neighbor as yourself,” is more than just a commandment to treat others the same way we would treat ourselves. It is a challenge for us to see others as we see ourselves. In fact, we are called to see ourselves just as we see others, as sinners. The difficult part is to admit that, first and foremost, we are not better than anyone else; as Saint Paul teaches, we are all fallen short of the glory of God. If all fall short, then all are sinners. And if all are sinners, that includes us…

Do You Want to See Jesus?

When Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, he made plans to run ahead and climb a tree. Jesus rewarded Zacchaeus by saying, “I must stay at your house. For today salvation has come to this house.” If you want to see Jesus, what plans are you willing to put into action? We plan for so many events and activities in our lives, and yet most of us never plan our day around seeing Jesus. Make this New Year different, and incorporate your Church calendar into your daily routine. If you are planning your menu, check for fasting days. If you’re planning a special evening, make sure your Church isn’t planning an evening Liturgy. Incorporate the Church calendar into your plans, and make your plans include seeing Jesus and salvation will come to your house.

What are You Looking for in Life?

Everyone is blessed when they approach God, but not everyone recognizes that those blessings actually come from God. In the Gospel story of the Healing of the Ten Lepers, we see ten men healed but only one saw God in that healing. Our challenge to rethink the way we look at God includes the way we look at blessings in our life. When we look for healing, we receive healing but nothing more. When we look for Christ we are healed but we receive salvation. Are you saved in the blessing you receive or are you only blessed? What you receive depends upon what you seek.

What are YOU Going to Change About Yourself to Get into Heaven?

When Jesus began His teaching ministry with the words, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” He was calling us to change the way we look at the world and consider the life of Orthodox Christianity. The only way for us to enter the kingdom of heaven is to change the way we look at life. Christ’s call to repentance is a call to first and foremost acknowledge that we must change something about ourselves.

Revealed! Re-created! Restored!

The celebration of Epiphany, also known as Theophany, is the culmination of the Feast of Christmas. In celebrating the Baptism of Jesus Christ, we celebrate the Holy Trinity revealed, our humanity recreated, and our nature restored. In the Baptism of Jesus Christ, we are called to reflect upon our own Baptism and rededicate our lives to God. We are called to a deeper relationship with Him as we remember how God united us to Himself in His and our Baptism.