Transfiguration: A Meditation on Transforming Ourselves and Our World

In following the non-violent Jesus it is helpful and also very comforting to connect with those who have been traveling the path for a long time and know it well. John Dear knows the way and shares it with us in TRANSFIGURATION. He's been studying Jesus for years and is convinced that Jesus is totally non-violent but never passive. And so, John lives his life focused on fitting his life story into that of Christ's. He invites us to do the same. He's a man of prayer and contemplation and he publicly stands up for peace and justice and risks arrest. He knows that Jesus does not bless war and nuclear weapons or killing anyone for any reason. He knows that Jesus really did command his followers to put down the sword and that he meant it. Don't miss the opportunity to read TRANSFIGURATION and to reflect upon the questions and comments John offers. Following his recommendations for studying Jesus' life, along with daily prayer and meditation, will surely lead to personal transfiguration and contribute to the transfiguration of the world.

John Dear's book of Transfiguration is not for those faint of heart. The chapters lead the reader up the mountain to "eavesdrop" on Jesus' encounter with Moses and Elijah. Like Peter, the reader cannot settle into comfort and ease. One is challenged to surrender to being disturbed by the God who speaks "cloud talk" and desires us to listen to Jesus. John's words call us all to live a life of nonviolence through commitment to contemplative prayer. The book is interspersed with questions for personal reflection and steps for pondering one's journey on the road to nonviolence. Encountering this book, you will never be the same if you are an "observer" of life. John says it well when he writes: "To follow Jesus on the path of transfiguring nonviolence, we have to leave our lofty heights, comfortable safety, and private spiritualities and go with him down the mountain into the world of war, where we must confront the structures of violence head-on. The real discipleship journey beings now, after the Transfiguration, as we follow Jesus on the road to Jerusalem."

Transfiguration Transfiguration is the latest book from the Jesuit peace activist and spiritual leader John Dear. The entire book is a meditation on the story of the Transfiguration. It is a must read for all Christians, especially those involved in working for peace and justice. Father Dear speaks of moments of transfiguration in our lives, times when we go up the mountain to be affirmed by the Father and come down ready to take up the cross and live the nonviolent Gospel of Jesus. Our lives are a walk with Jesus. Like Jesus, we proclaim nonviolent peace and justice. At times, we are affirmed and consoled by the Father, "You are my beloved son or daughter." The Father tells us to listen to Jesus. When we listen to Jesus, we hear, "Love your enemies." "Love one another as I have loved you." "Put away your swords." "Pray for those who persecute you." "Feed the hungry. Give drink to the thirsty. Clothe the naked. Shelter the homeless. Care for the sick. Visit the imprisoned. Declare a year of jubilee for debt relief." When we listen to this and try to make it a reality in our lives and in our world, we take up our crosses, go forth from the mountain, and walk with Jesus to Jerusalem. Father Dear reminds us that we must be prayerful people. We must contemplate the nonviolent teachings of Jesus every day. Contemplation is not the prayer of the Pharisees--words piled upon words. It is resting in the presence of God and listening to what God is telling us. Action without contemplation is futile. I pray daily for a more peaceful heart because I really need one and that is where it all really begins. I cannot make my heart more peaceful. Only Jesus can gift me with a peaceful heart. He also reminds us that Jesus was nonviolent but not passive. Jesus actively resisted the evil of the empire and the Temple cult that surrounded him and oppressed him and his fellow Jews. He willingly absorbed the evil of crucifixion rather than retaliate in violence. He showed us that the only way to true peace and justice is by the suffering of the cross. We take up our crosses when we enter into the suffering of the poor and oppressed, the victims of all the structural violence in our world. One of the main points I got from my first reading of the book (I will ponder this book many times!) is that we must let go of fear as we come down from the moments of transfiguration to work for peace and justice. In 2005, Father Dear personally taught me to let go of fear and cross the line at the Nevada Test Site to protest nuclear proliferation on the sixtieth anniversary of Hiroshima. I will never forget the moment when I walked into the barb wire holding area. Father Dear immediately came up to me and asked me, "Are you doing all right?" He is a powerful activist and a very sensitive, compassionate man. More recently, while I was reading the book, I let go of fear and signed up for a study mission to Israel and Palestine which now has been postponed. But, I will go. In the meant

John Dear does not just write a book-he lives what he writes Has the gift of urging us to do the same. He hits the mark for me. Contemplation in action, a burning desire to live the life of one who is Peace. Thank you. Jane

When you read John Read, you are reminded of the "madness" of Saint Francis of Assisi and all those powerless holy men and women who believe that Jesus always sides with the poor, the marginalized, the outcast, the "wrong" people. Unlike many arrogant and self-righteous "Christians" of our times who claim they know that Jesus supports war and the persecution of "immoral" people, John Dear insists that Jesus' love is all-inclusive and peaceful. Against the many Christian "prophets" who in their own TV programs support those powerful politicians who are pro-war and pro-capital punishment, John Dear reminds us that to follow Jesus means to question the numerous forms of violence that dominate our times. Dear's "insanity" is like opening a window and smell some fresh air. I highly recommend that you read this and all the other books written by John Dear.