Transfiguring Life: Unleashing the Power of Paradox

by Andrew D Mayes

Overview

Explosive, esoteric, enigmatic—the Transfiguration event is often greeted with puzzlement. But as a mystery pulsating at the very heart of the gospel—a watershed in Mark, at its very center, the pivotal turning point in Jesus' ministry—it reveals crucial aspects of Christian living. This book uncovers its secrets and unleashes its significance for discipleship in troubled times, looking through the lens of life-giving paradox. This hermeneutical key unlocks unexpected insights and allows transfiguring light to shine into crucial contemporary concerns and crises, as we discover the energy and dynamic of paradox. Drawing on the wisdom and experience of a wide variety of sources—from patristic teachers, spiritual writers, orthodox art and liturgies, present-day scholarship, as well as from the author's years researching in the Holy Land—this resource becomes a kaleidoscope of the Transfiguration, opening widening and challenging perspectives. We discover it to be a vortex of grace, epicenter of revelation: its centrifugal power emanating seismic implications for the universe, its centripetal power drawing all things into Christ, the unifying center of all paradox. Ultimately, we're invited not to solve a puzzle but to live a transformative mystery, ever more deeply, ever more creatively.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798385244133
Publisher:	Resource Publications (CA)
Publication date:	04/29/2025
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

Andrew D. Mayes, Episcopal priest and Franciscan, served as Spirituality Adviser to the Diocese of Chichester and the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. For several years he worked in Jerusalem, as a theological researcher and later as Director of Courses of St. George’s College. Currently leading retreats, he is the author of seventeen spirituality books including the award-winning Learning the Language of the Soul; Beyond the Edge, and, from Wipf and Stock, Gateways to the Divine; Treasure in the Wilderness; Roads of Hurt and Hope; Another Christ.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging and illuminating book immersing readers into a new vision of reality, opening doors of perception and weaving threads of insight with the help of a host of Christian writers, ancient and modern. The author unwraps hidden layers of the Synoptic transfiguration narratives, uncovering inner meanings and ultimately demonstrating how paradoxes in life and faith reveal the dance of God in creation. Challenging questions for reflection and prayer exercises conclude each chapter. Recharge your spiritual and intellectual batteries with this rich and rewarding read!”

—Stephen W. Need, Adjunct Associate Professor, Notre Dame (USA), England



“This resource is a densely woven tapestry revealing major strands of Christian spirituality seen through the lens of the transfiguration of Jesus. Scripture unfurls in the teachings of theologians and mystics, from East and West, through the centuries. Enjoy a rich feast worthy of sustained personal and shared reflection, with plenty of guidance for the actual practice of prayer.”

—Nicholas Alan Worssam, SSF, Guardian, Glasshampton Franciscan Monastery



“This is a thoughtful and—in the best sense—demanding meditation, drawing together a wealth of scriptural scholarship, a deep experience of prayerful reflection, and a warmly sympathetic understanding of some of the treasures of Eastern Christian spiritual discipline. It is a model of how to hold together tradition and contemporary challenge.”

—Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury

Editorial Reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging and illuminating book immersing readers into a new vision of reality, opening doors of perception and weaving threads of insight with the help of a host of Christian writers, ancient and modern. The author unwraps hidden layers of the Synoptic transfiguration narratives, uncovering inner meanings and ultimately demonstrating how paradoxes in life and faith reveal the dance of God in creation. Challenging questions for reflection and prayer exercises conclude each chapter. Recharge your spiritual and intellectual batteries with this rich and rewarding read!”

—Stephen W. Need, Adjunct Associate Professor, Notre Dame (USA), England



“This resource is a densely woven tapestry revealing major strands of Christian spirituality seen through the lens of the transfiguration of Jesus. Scripture unfurls in the teachings of theologians and mystics, from East and West, through the centuries. Enjoy a rich feast worthy of sustained personal and shared reflection, with plenty of guidance for the actual practice of prayer.”

—Nicholas Alan Worssam, SSF, Guardian, Glasshampton Franciscan Monastery



“This is a thoughtful and—in the best sense—demanding meditation, drawing together a wealth of scriptural scholarship, a deep experience of prayerful reflection, and a warmly sympathetic understanding of some of the treasures of Eastern Christian spiritual discipline. It is a model of how to hold together tradition and contemporary challenge.”

—Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury

From the Publisher