Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner presents “The Transforming Glory of God”. Patti discusses glory in scripture, in the present world and in eternity. We explore the words Jesus used to speak of glory as well as those affected by his glory. For audio and video links and a copy of the script please continue reading.
In our previous podcast we mentioned that “Beauty gives glory to God”[i]. On this episode we are going to discuss transforming glory itself. When we sing “Glory to God in the highest!” or “Glory, glory, halleluiah!” what are we talking about? Moses was up close and personal to the glory of God; Moses visited God on Mount Sinai for 40 days and he was physically affected. As Moses came down the mountain with the tablets of the covenant, the Ten Commandments, his face shone with God’s glory. Chapter 34 of Exodus tells us that the skin on his face was so bright, so radiant that the brother of Moses, Aaron, and all the Israelites were afraid to go near Moses unless he wore a veil. The wondrous glow was a sign to the people of the glory of God and proof that Moses had been in God’s presence.
Welcome to Truth of the Spirit and “The Transforming Glory of God”. I’m your host, Patti Brunner. We invite you to take a moment with us to consider how we are transformed ‘glory to glory’.
In 2 Corinthians Chapter 3 Paul writes that through Christ we, too, can face God. Paul says that the ministry of the Spirit occurs in glory. He writes that the glory of the New Covenant lasts forever. And all of us, with our unveiled faces like mirrors reflecting the glory of God, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, and by our transformation in Christ we reflect brighter and brighter glory; this is the working of the Lord who is the Spirit. The Lord has said that “At the fulfillment of God’s glory the human body will also be glorified so as to join in God’s glory more fully!”
In scripture the word glory is used over 400 times; there are 22 words Hebrew and Greek words that are translated into English as “glory”[ii]. In the Old Testament the most frequent use of the word is for grandeur in appearance, beauty and majesty. Glory was described as clear in color that would shine and purify. Glory was weighty and splendid. In the New Testament the most used Greek word for glory and the word the Lord Jesus used translated to glory was “Doxa” that translates from dignity, honor, praise and worship. It makes me think of the doxology to the Lord’s Prayer: “For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever!”
In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus used the word ‘glory’ to describe his reign and the final judgment. He said in Matthew Chapter 16: 7 “‘For the Son of man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his behavior.” Matthew Chapter 25.31 says “’When the Son of man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory.” His words recorded in the Gospel of Luke expand the idea of glory. Luke Chapter 9 says: “For if anyone is ashamed of me and of my words, of him the Son of man will be ashamed when he comes in his own glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.” And in Luke Chapter 21 Jesus says, “And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraph #697[iii] in recalling cloud and light explains that “These two images occur together in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. In the theophanies of the Old Testament, the cloud, now obscure, now luminous, reveals the living and saving God, while veiling the transcendence of his glory.” Jesus is telling us that at the end of time his glory will not be hidden. The Lord allows us glimmers of his glory in our time and we are transformed by them.
In John’s Gospel some different words of Jesus about glory are recorded. The Gospel of John recognizes that the glory of God is among us now as Jesus shares his supernatural power. In John Chapter 8 Jesus says, “I do not seek my own glory; there is someone who does seek it and is the judge of it.” In Chapter 11 he explains, when Jesus said, “’This sickness will not end in death, but it is for God’s glory so that through it the Son of God may be glorified.’” A short time later, after Lazarus died, Jesus said, “’Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’” Then Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead!
During the Last Supper, Jesus instructed the apostles with his farewell address. He also reminded the apostles that his passion was coming, but they could not yet comprehend what that meant. As He talked about the glory that was coming He prayed in John Chapter 17, “Now, Father, glorify me with that glory I had with you before ever the world existed.” He prayed for his apostles and for us as He continued, “I have given them the glory you gave to me, that they may be one as we are one. 23 With me in them and you in me, may they be so perfected in unity that the world will recognize that it was you who sent me and that you have loved them as you have loved me. 24 Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they may always see my glory which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” Certainly the Holy Spirit within us allows the fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus. Through the obedience of Jesus to the will of the Father salvation allows the fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus.
A 20th century prophet I have studied, Ruth Heflin, said that “the glory realm is the realm of eternity. It is the revelation of the presence of God. It is the manifestation of His presence. He is glory. He is everywhere, but glory is the manifestation of that reality.” “When glory comes down, it’s a bit of Heaven’s atmosphere coming down to us, a taste of His manifest presence.”[iv] During her life, Ruth witnessed unique physical signs and supernatural wonders of God’s presence during ministry and prayer. She counseled, “Praise until the spirit of worship comes. Worship until the glory comes. Then stand in the glory.”
As mankind searches for beauty, they are searching for God. As they long to belong—they are searching for the fulfillment of being one with the Lord. God created man—and woman—in God’s image. This recognizes the potential each person has to join with the Lord in God’s glory. The eternal soul is destined with that potential. Paul writes in Romans Chapter 8, “30 it was those so destined that he called; those that he called, he justified, and those that he has justified he has brought into glory.” Jesus is Lord!
Paul wrote to the Philippians, Chapter 3, “20 But our homeland is in heaven and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transfigure the wretched body of ours into the mold of his glorious body, through the working of the power which he has”. God gave man a body—male and female—so that they could join him in the act of creation—which takes place at the conception of a child –with the male and female humans providing the physical and God’s own creation of the soul—the everlasting soul.
In the Glory of God there is Peace, Love, Joy, Happiness, Compassion, and Desire to Serve. We can look to God’s saints who have witnessed His glory. Many of these saints are well known by the world. Others, whose names are not familiar, have impacted the world nonetheless. The glory of God transforms us; obedience to the will of God transforms the world. Let me repeat that: The glory of God transforms us; then our obedience to the will of God transforms the world.
St. Catherine of Siena[v], pious as a young girl, had a mystical experience with God at age 21. Her obedience to the will of God influenced the subsequent actions of Pope Gregory XI and Pope Urban VI. She negotiated peace with Florence. She has been proclaimed a Doctor of the Church—the second of four women with that title—and was named by Pope John Paul II as the patron saint of Europe. Her set of spiritual treatises The Dialogue of Divine Providence continues to be read today, over 700 years since it was dictated.
Saint Joan of Arc witnessed God’s glory through the saints of heaven. At age thirteen, she began to be instructed by supernatural voices in a mission she was to carry out for God. The voices she heard included the voice of St. Catherine. She also heard St. Michael the Archangel and St. Margaret, and because Joan knew they spoke for God she followed their directions faithfully for the rest of her life. At age 17 she led the French army for Charles to be consecrated the King. She gave her life in martyrdom when she was 19. Today, with Saint Therese of Lisieux, she is the co-patron of France.
St. Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Jesuits, testified that he had an intense religious experience. From his encounter with God came his spiritual exercises. He wanted his followers to experience the glory of God and gave them a retreat of spiritual exercises to contemplate Holy Scripture in a particular way to have a direct experience with God. Filled with the zeal of God his followers traveled the world to evangelize Christianity often giving their lives.
Our greatest example of a person encountering the glory of God is the Blessed Virgin Mother Mary. The Blessed Mother continues to return to reveal her glorious body before man. Her appearance to St. Catherine of Labouré bought about the Miraculous Medal. Her appearance to St. Juan Diego brought about the conversion of millions of Aztecs. Her appearance to St. Bernadette of Lourdes strengthened the faith of the world in accepting the Immaculate Conception. I could go on and on with the effect of encountering God’s glory through Mother Mary.
There are many who tasted God’s glory on this earth before the completion of joining Him in eternity. St. Padre Pio as a child saw angels and spoke with Jesus and the Virgin Mary. He thought everyone did! After he became a priest St. Padre Pio would fall into ecstasy as he offered Mass. Obedient to the will of God he would bi-locate to share his intercession and charisms of healing with those in need. He was also given the physical sign of the stigmata and he willingly suffered this and he contended with demonic attacks for the glory of God. In the confessional the Lord gave him the charism of Word of Knowledge and he used it to make sure the penitent made a good confession. Padre Pio would spend 16 hours a day hearing confessions!
St. Theresa of Avila had many struggles in her faith life as a Carmelite nun, but at age 41 her spiritual director encouraged her to pray through it. “As she started to pray again, God gave her spiritual delights: the prayer of quiet where God’s presence overwhelmed her senses, raptures where God overcame her with glorious foolishness, prayer of union where she felt the sun of God melt her soul away. Sometimes her whole body was raised from the ground.” It levitated! “Teresa felt that the best evidence that her delights came from God was that the experiences gave her peace, inspiration, and encouragement.” She began a reform of the Carmelites and founded the Discalced Carmelite Order. A young confessor assigned to her also became a saint, St. John of the Cross. She wrote her autobiography, The Life of Teresa of Jesus and The Interior Castle. “Together with The Way of Perfection, her works form part of the literary canon of Christian mysticism and Christian meditation practice.”[vi] In 1970 she was declared a Doctor of the Church for her writing and teaching on prayer.
When the Glory provides signs and wonders—who shall turn away? Would they not be drawn like iron filings to a magnet? Yet, why do the people not see the kingdom in their midst? Why do they not lay down their loves to participate even in a single Eucharist? Why? They are blind to Truth. Their hearts are firm and stony. Only in great need do they call the Name of the Lord. So many who receive the precious Body and Blood do so out of habit! When will the passion return to the body of the Church? The Holy Spirit shall come in your midst and turn your hearts to the Father, and you shall be renewed, and the face of the earth shall be redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb.
I have often felt the presence of God in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the presence of the Eucharist, and in the intimacy of prayer. But I have also witnessed the glory of God. I have stood in the presence of God and realized I was standing within his glory. It changed my life. It changed everything. If you have stood in the glory of God have you told anyone? Are you obedient to the will of God? “Witness, witness, testify the goodness of the Lord. When you share the good things the Lord has done for you it gives hope and expectation that allows faith to grow and love to manifest. Continually take note of the Presence of God in your life. When the extraordinary takes place, remember it. Write it, speak it, share it! The Church was built on the testimony of your brothers and sisters in Christ. They testified their wisdom and knowledge—gifts from God. They also testified to the power and love manifesting in their lives through the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit is God the Testifier. That sounds ‘funny’ doesn’t it! It is the gifts of boldness and witness that Peter was able to speak to the 3000 new ‘converts’ on the day of Pentecost. It was the Holy Spirit the Testifier who grabbed a hold of Paul and gave him an experience that rocked the world: Testifying into Paul’s spirit of the Truth of his Lord Jesus and the Testament of the prophets and writers of the scriptures.
We can all say, “I am not worthy!” Peter witnessed the miracle of the catch of fish in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 5 then he said to Jesus, “Depart from me, I am a sinful man.” Jesus did not depart, he immediately called Peter to be his disciple, and Peter began his transformation. Do not fear remembering the bad along with the conversion. It is this that proves the glory of God. “I was a sinner—God made me a saint” is the witness that could be spoken by many—most—of the saints in heaven. St. Augustine, Father of the Church, was a ‘terrible sinner’. Remember what God did for him! God gave him a prayerful mother and a Spirit-filled teacher, St. Ambrose. Full of bitter sorrow, Augustine flung himself out into the garden and cried out to God, “How long more, O Lord? Why does not this hour put an end to my sins?” Just then he heard a child singing, “Take up and read!” Thinking that God intended him to hear those words, he picked up the book of the Letters of St. Paul, and read the first passage his gaze fell on. It was just what Augustine needed, for in it, St. Paul says to put away all impurity and to live in imitation of Jesus. That did it! From then on, Augustine began a new life.” St. Augustine was transformed. “His many important works include The City of God, On Christian Doctrine, and Confessions. According to his contemporary, St. Jerome, St. Augustine “established anew the ancient Faith”. [a] “ After his conversion to Christianity and baptism in 386, Augustine helped formulate the doctrine of original sin. His thoughts profoundly influenced the medieval worldview. The concept of the Trinity as defined by the Council of Nicaea and the Council of Constantinople [27] closely identified with Augustine’s on the Trinity. He is also a preeminent Catholic Doctor of the Church.”[vii]
“Sharing your own experiences great or small edifies the body of Christ. It builds your own faith and it glorifies your Father in heaven who, because He loves you so dearly, sent his Son to redeem you and his Holy Spirit to dwell within you to sanctify and to testify.”
A touch of the glory of God would certainly impact us in the doldrums of prayer—those times when, like Teresa of Avila, we find ourselves too distracted to pray or feel like we’re just going through the motions. Fasting and a good confession is helpful. This certainly is the pairing that allows my heart to be refreshed and renewed when I choose to fast from media distractions. The Gospel says if something leads you to sin—cut it off. When the days are difficult, prayer is always a source of rescue and renewal. When difficulty praying is part of the struggle certainly fasting ‘paired’ with Reconciliation can cause a break through. Forgive and move on, yes, move on to glory. Seeking perfection? Seek the Lord! When the day for you to leave this life to move to the next, may you repeat the words of Jesus to God the Father from John Chapter 17, “4 I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.”
You’ve been listening to Truth of the Spirit and The Transforming Glory of God. You can read the transcript of this episode at PatriarchMinistries.com/178. Please subscribe, it’s free, and makes it easier for you to find us again. Please leave us a comment on YouTube, click like, and request notification of future shows by clicking the bell. Our YouTube channel can be accessed by clicking our icon in the description of this episode on YouTube. And then come back for more. With the Holy Spirit there’s always more! Amen.
[i] TOS177 Jewels-God’s Beauty in Creation published 9/25/2021 by Truth of the Spirit
[ii] Based on the New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. 405 uses of glory, 13 Hebrew words translated to English as glory, 8 Greek words translated to English as glory.
[iii] Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraph 697 “Cloud and light. These two images occur together in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. In the theophanies of the Old Testament, the cloud, now obscure, now luminous, reveals the living and saving God, while veiling the transcendence of his glory – with Moses on Mount Sinai, 43 at the tent of meeting, 44 and during the wandering in the desert, 45 and with Solomon at the dedication of the Temple. 46 In the Holy Spirit, Christ fulfills these figures. The Spirit comes upon the Virgin Mary and “overshadows” her, so that she might conceive and give birth to Jesus. 47 On the mountain of Transfiguration, the Spirit in the “cloud came and overshadowed” Jesus, Moses and Elijah, Peter, James and John, and “a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!'” 48 Finally, the cloud took Jesus out of the sight of the disciples on the day of his ascension and will reveal him as Son of man in glory on the day of his final coming. 49”
[iv] Ruth Ward Heflin, Glory-Experiencing the Atmosphere of Heaven, 1990, p.133
[v] St. Catherine of Siena – Saints & Angels – Catholic Online [captured 9/22/2021]
[vi] St. Teresa of Avila – Saints & Angels – Catholic Online [captured 9/22/2021]
[vii] St. Augustine of Hippo – Saints & Angels – Catholic Online [captured 9/22/2021]
