Transformation . . . What Exactly Is It?
How Does It Happen?
Women from the Syro-Malabar Catholic Community, Roselle, IL,
whose origins date to St. Thomas, missionary to Kerala, a
southern state in India, around 52 CE, on retreat with Sr. Mary
Ellen O’Dea (second row, right)
After a retreat in Spokane, WA, some friends spent several fascinating hours in a gemstone shop. A very dark green gemstone caught their attention, and the sales-lady explained that this jewel was moldavite, the gemstone of transformation. Upon hearing the history of moldavite, it became clear why this stone was so considered: 15 million years ago, moldavite came into existence when, as a meteor, it collided into Earth with such force that its melted rock was thrown at high speeds into the upper atmosphere, traveling in space for 4 billion years before it actually crashed onto Earth, becoming this very dark green gemstone. Numerous spiritual cultivators have since claimed moldavite to be a symbol for spiritual transformation!
Each of us was first called at the beginning of time some 14 billion years ago. Our Universe flared forth into existence, and at that moment you and I were present among the infinite number of possibilities contained in the Divine Dream. What had only been a possibility, a potentiality for some 14 billion years, at that moment became an actuality. Each of us, grounded in that Divine Life, began our transformation, or should we say, transformations. And now, between the last 20 to 90 years, you and I have had births, deaths, and rebirths that have shaped, expanded, and hopefully transformed us!
Pentecost’s reading of Acts 2:1–11, with its fire and wind images, reminds us once again of transformation! Fire and wind are clearly manifestations of the Spirit’s universal presence and power. In Acts 2, there’s a new creation story with the Spirit hovering over each member of the community just as, in Genesis 1:2, the Spirit hovers over the ongoing creation of Earth. The indwelling Spirit’s effect is clearly a transformation of each of the disciples to become preachers to all nations . . . disciples, themselves in the process of transformation, transforming each other and all of Earth.
The transformation insights we derive from moldavite, our own experiences, and the Acts 2 disciples, tell us that transformations 1) happen over time; 2) happen with power and pressure, like “FIRE”; 3) bring together various elements to become new creations; and 4) are often imperceptible, like “WIND.” Retreatants’ insights, too, speak eloquently of what happens in personal transformations: “There was a shift—subtle to begin with, but steadily becoming more apparent. We were no longer discussing issues; instead, we were disclosing ourselves, layer by layer, stripping away masks, revealing our unprotected core. We explained who we were, not what had happened between us. We explained the forces that had shaped us. We explained why our fears and weaknesses made us react to each other in the way we had. We analyzed what we respected about self and other, as well as what we had difficulty accepting. The issues were no longer important; the tension was no longer with us. Gradually, we were able to look at each other and smile—first, self-consciously, then without restraint. We saw each other with a clarity which mirrored God’s Spirit in whose presence we were sitting. Profoundly moved, deeply grateful, we surrendered to the peace between us . . .”
Transformation . . . What exactly is it? . . . How does it happen?
Look around you for the wind and the fire: look within, outside, and among you.
Sister Mary Ellen O’Dea, OP (Celestine)
