November 8 – Changed Into Me
Transformation in Christ is the gradual awakening of the divine image already planted within us. Cynthia Bourgeault
Gregg’s Reflection
The more I’ve sat with the mystics, the more I realize that salvation is not just forgiveness but transformation. It is not about making God fit my image, but allowing God to change me into His. Augustine described it as being drawn into God’s very life, until we are no longer defined by our smallness, but by God’s greatness alive within us.
This is not a change that happens overnight. It unfolds gradually, often hidden, sometimes through suffering, sometimes through joy. Slowly, God reshapes us from the inside out, until what was once fragmented becomes whole, what was once fearful becomes rooted in love.
It comforts me to know that this change is God’s work, not mine. My role is simply to consent, to open myself daily to the Spirit’s work, and to trust that God is faithful to finish what He has begun. Transformation is not about losing my humanity but about becoming fully myself — alive with God’s own life.
Scripture
Set your mind on things above… for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:2–3
Ancient Quotes
To be like God will be to see Him; and to see Him is to be like Him. For this perfect recognition will be eternal life, the joy no one can take away.
William of St. Thierry, Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism, p. 199
Modern Quotes
This dynamic of emptying and transcendence accurately defines the transformation of the Christian consciousness in Christ. It is an emptying of the ego to become a void in which the light of God is manifested.
Thomas Merton, Zen and the Birds of Appetite, p. 75
Transformation in Christ is the gradual awakening of the divine image already planted within us.
Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Jesus
Journaling Prompts
- Do I tend to think of transformation as “self-improvement,” or as being reshaped by God’s grace?
- Where do I already see signs of new creation taking root in me?
- What might it mean in my life to “see God and be like God” as William of St. Thierry describes?
- How can I open myself more deeply to the Spirit’s slow work of change today?
Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 45 Reflection: Transformation/Divinization/Fire