Friends, welcome to Word on Fire, Catholic Ministries. Word on Fire is an

apostolate dedicated to the mission of evangelization, using media both old and

new to share the faith on every continent and to facilitate an encounter with

Christ and His Church. The efforts of Word on Fire engage the culture and bring

the transformative power of God's Word where it is most needed. Today we invite

you to join Bishop Robert Barron as he preaches the gospel and shares the

warmth and light of Christ with each one of us. Peace be with you. Friends, the

story of the transfiguration of Jesus has beguiled Christian poets, artists,

preachers, and mystics for centuries. Take a good look at much of Eastern

Christian spirituality and you'll find an intense interest in the dynamics of

the transfiguration. Go to Shard Cathedral in France to my mind the most

beautiful covered space in the world and you'll find a surpassingly beautiful

depiction of the transfiguration in stained glass. Look at the writings of

Teard to Shardan, 20th century Jesuit scientist and mystic and you'll find a

preoccupation with the meaning of this event. So what is it that is so

fascinated the Christian mind about the transfiguration? I believe it's the

clearest new testament evocation of mystical experience and we are as Andrew

Greeley argued years ago a nation of mystics. He did a series of surveys and

showed that you know you just scratch the surface of people's lives you'll

find lots and lots of stories of the mystical. But what is the mystical? What do

we mean by that term? You might be described straightforwardly enough as the

experience of spiritual things within the ordinary and a keen conviction that the

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