In the Catholic tradition the feast of the Transfiguration, celebrated on August 6th , tells the story of how the true nature of Christ, as the son of God, was revealed to his apostles during his life. After the event Jesus instructs them not to tell anyone of what they have witnessed until after his resurrection. What value might this story have in a secular world?
There is an ancient Chinese saying – ‘when the student is ready the teacher will appear’. This speaks of man’s tendency to focus on things of immediate interest to the exclusion of a deeper level of understanding that only life experience can bring. There comes a time when the wider context of life becomes visible and the student’s curiosity is awakened.
To me these stories come to realisation in thinking of our societal structures in terms of the human body. No matter what one’s cultural heritage, land of birth, standard of education or material wealth, every human being plays a unique role in the great cycle of creation. Every cell in the body has a role to play. Every person in creation has the gift of life and a purpose to fulfil. We become absorbed in the minutiae and pressures of daily life so that we are unaware of or unreceptive to this uniqueness of purpose, this spiritual imperative to shine and contribute our light to that of the entire brotherhood of man.
John Lennon was a free and far-sighted thinker, a challenging voice against the social and political institutions of his day. He was much maligned during his life for his ideas, his contempt for authority and his influence on a generation. Two thousand years earlier Jesus was an unpopular figure, he was put to death. In their unique ways each challenged the status quo. Each had the audacity to shine their light on the world and to point to the oneness of creation.
Why must the uplifting message of healthy living be suppressed?
Why organisational departments, or indeed nations, fight for supremacy as though one organ of the body was more important than another?
When will our perspective of our true nature be transfigured to a glorious appreciation of the common soul.
Could it be that one day ‘Imagine’ will find its way into a hymnal for humanity?
© Paul Curran 6th August 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment