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it might
preach forever the gospel of warmth to those who are physically
cold, but
even the finest oratory would fail to satisfy its audience. When
it has
been filled with fuel and radiates warmth, there will be no need of
preach-
ing. Men will come to it and be satisfied. Similarly a sermon on
brother-
hood by one who has not laved in the "Fountain of Life" will sound
hollow.
The true Mystic need not preach. His every act, even his silent
presence,
[PAGE 95] THE
TRANSFIGURATION
is more powerful that all the most deeply thought-out discourses of
learned
doctors of philosophy.
There is a story of St. Francis of Assisi which particularly
illus-
trates this fact, and which we trust may serve to drive it home, for
its ex-
ceedingly important. It is said that one day St. Francis went to a
young
brother in the monastery with which he was then connected and said
to him:
"Brother, let us go down to the village and preach to them." The
young
brother was naturally overjoyed at the honor and opportunity of
accompanying
so hold a man as St. Francis, and together the two started toward
the vil-
lage, talking all the while about spiritual things and the life that
leads
to God. Engrossed in this conversation they passed through the
village,
walking along its various streets, now and then stopping to speak a
kindly
word to one or another of the villagers. After having made a circuit
of the
village St. Francis was heading toward the road which led to the
monastery
when of a sudden the young brother reminded him of his intention to
preach
in the village and asked him if he had forgotten it. To this St.
Francis
answered: "My son, are you not aware that all the while we have
been in
this village we have been preaching to the people all around us?
In the
first place, our simple dress proclaims the fact that we are devoted
to the
service of God, and as soon as anyone sses us his thoughts
naturally turn
heavenward. Be sure that everyone of the villagers has been
watching us,
taking note of our demeanor to see in how far it conforms with our
profes-
sion. They have listened to our words to find whether they were
about
[PAGE 96] ANCIENT AND MODERN
INITIATION
spiritual or profane subjects. They have watched our gestures
and have
noted that the words of sympathy we dispensed came straight from our
hearts
and went deep into theirs. We have been preaching a far more
powerful ser-
mon that if we had gone into the market place, called them around
us, and
started to harangue them with an exhortation to holiness."
St. Francis was a Christian Mystic in the deepest sense of the
word, and
being taught from within by the spirit of God he knew well the
mysteries of
life, as did Jacob Boehme and other holy men who have been similarly
taught.
They are in a certain sense wiser than the wisest of the
intellectual
school, but it is not necessary for them to expound great mysteries
in order
to fulfill their mission and serve as guide posts to others who
are also
seeking God. The very simplicity of their words and acts carries
with it
the power of conviction. Naturally, of course, all do not rise to
the same
heights. All have not the same powers anymore than all the stoves
are of
the same size and have the same heating capacity. Those who
follow the
Christian Mystic path, from the least to the greatest, have
experienced the
powers conveyed by Baptism according to their capacity. They
have been
tempted to use those powers in an evil direction for personal gain,
and hav-
ing overcome the desire for the world and worldly things they have
turned to
the path of ministry and service as Christ did; their lives are
marked not
so much by what they have said as by what they have done. The true
Chris-
tian Mystic is easily distinguished. He never uses the six
week days
[PAGE 96A] ANCIENT AND MODERN
INITATION
ILLUSTRATION:
THE PROCESS OF TRANSFIGURATION
[PAGE 97] THE
TRANSFIGURATION
to prepare for a grand oratorical effort to thrill his
hearers on
Sunday, but spends every day alike in humble endeavor to do
the Mas-
ter's will regardless of outward applause. Thus unconsciously
he works
up toward that grand climax which in the history of the
noblest of
all who have trod this path is spoken of as the "Transfiguration."
The Transfiguration is an alchemical process by which the
physical body
formed by the chemistry of physiological processes is turned into a
living
stone such as is mentioned in the Bible. The medieval alchemists
who were
seeking the Philosopher's Stone were not concerned with
transmutation of
such dross as material god, but aimed at the greater goal as
indicated
above.
Moisture gathered in the clouds falls to earth as rain when it
has con-
densed sufficiently, and it is again evaporated into clouds by the
heat of
the sun. This is the primal cosmic formula. Spirit also condenses
itself
into matter and becomes mineral. But though it be crystallized
into the
harness of flint, life still remains, and by the alchemy of nature
working
through another life stream the dense mineral constituents of the
soil are
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