Attaining Transfiguration

I have been sharing something of Paul's own transfiguration from Cardinal Martini's book and today I will continue with his thoughts on how we attain and maintain our own transfiguration as this is important for all of us. Martini says that the path to transfiguration is to recognize that it is God who, in his mercy, transfigures us. Then he tell us that the first way of receiving this divine gift is a contemplation of the heart of the crucified Christ that pours out the spirit.
The second way comes through the intercession of Mary. Cardinal Martini says that the gift of a heart transfigured in joy, in praise, in thanksgiving, in perseverance, and in freedom comes through the intercession of Mary. It is Mary who sustains and nourishes the liveliness of faith in us.
The third way to receive the gift of transfiguration comes from sharing, from stretching out a hand in the dark and placing it on the shoulders of someone who sees the light...This is the role of spiritual direction or of conversations in the confessional that are so important because they involve extending hands to one another.
And, finally, the gift of transfiguration needs vigilance. We are limited humans who "grow weary and are not capable of persevering on our own."
Let us pray for our own transfiguration remembering the inner attitudes of Paul, his modes of action, and then the ways to attain and maintain the gift for ourselves!