Conversion as Transformation

By Fr Donald Chambers

In a reflection to the bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference, Sr Julie Marie Peters SSM distinguished between “change” and “transformation”.

She said, “Change is an external event, a new arrangement of things. Transformation is an internal process, an interior journey that shifts the (1) meaning and purpose of life and (2) practices and structures that support it.”  She further stated, “If we change external things but not the deeper work, the old patterns stay in place. It’s like changing places, but we carry with us an old pattern. However, transformation invites us to allow God to do His work in us. When we are in the depths of struggles, vulnerabilities, and brokenness, it is an opportunity for transformation.”

I wish to explore the transformation of Joseph in the Genesis narratives (37:1–36; 39–43). As a youth, Joseph’s great ambitions indicate a misinterpretation of his dreams (vs 90). Hence, his father responded, “A fine dream to have! Are all of us then, myself and your mother and your brothers, to come and bow to the ground before you?” (37:10).

As the narrative unfolded, Joseph’s older brothers, jealous of him, threw him in a dry well and eventually sold him to some Midianite merchants travelling to Egypt.

Joseph’s meaning and purpose in life may have been shaped by his youthful ambitions, which led him to believe he would one day have the upper hand over his jealous brothers.

While Joseph’s physical location forcefully changed from the land of Canaan to Egypt, his meaning and purpose in life were not transformed, at least not initially.

In the wise words of the Alcoholics Anonymous movement, “You can change where you live, but you take your patterns with you.”

As the story in Genesis develops, we witness Joseph’s willingness to let God work in him amidst his struggles, vulnerabilities, and brokenness in the face of his brothers whom he encounters in Egypt.

The depth of his struggles fuels Joseph’s transformation and is manifested in his:

• Weeping: “He left them and wept. Then he went back to them and spoke to them” (Gen 42:24);
• Vulnerability: “Then Joseph could not control his feelings in front of all his attendants, and he exclaimed, ‘Let everyone leave me.’ No one, therefore, was present with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers, but he wept so loudly that all the Egyptians heard. . .” (Gen 45:1–2);
• Brokenness: “Then throwing his arms around the neck of his brother Benjamin, he wept; . . . He kissed all his brothers, weeping over them” (Gen 45:14–15).

The concrete sign of Joseph’s transformation is captured in his words, “…But now, do not grieve, do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here, since God sent me before you to preserve your lives” (Gen 45:5).

For Joseph, the meaning and purpose of life are no longer the youthful thoughts of lording it over or having the upper hand over his brothers. Instead, he becomes aware of his vocation to be a forerunner to save his family and people. God works through his life’s broken and vulnerable circumstances to save His people.

Throughout the narrative, we witness Joseph’s gradual conversion manifested in his concrete decisions. Eventually, removing his social status mask and embracing his struggles, vulnerabilities, and brokenness, Joseph paves the way for a fundamental shift in his behaviour.

Transformation cannot happen unless we look deeply inside and outside ourselves and realign our attitudes and behaviour to the values of the Kingdom of God revealed in the Scriptures.

When our hearts are open, the Spirit leads us to embrace our realities, unideal and ideal. The Holy Spirit beckons us to remove our social, religious, and cultural masks, revealing our true identity and embracing everyone whom we encounter, even those who hurt us or become estranged.

The Holy Spirit invites us to model Joseph’s synodal approach in his relationship with his estranged brothers, who “sold him”. But Joseph faced, listened to, and dialogued with them, and eventually discerned the voice of God to forgive and reconcile.

Synodality is fundamentally about how God desires to transform us for mission in a similar way that God transformed Joseph to become an instrument of salvation.

In the words of Joseph, “God…sent me on ahead of you to ensure for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance. So, it was not really you but God who had me come here. . .” (Gen 45:7–8).

Hence, Jesus, following the footsteps of His ancestor Joseph, “journeyed together” with His disciples, teaching them through word and action the spirituality of listening, dialogue, and discernment for mission.

Both Joseph and Jesus model the Church’s synodal journey for us.

Fr Donald Chambers of the Archdiocese of Kingston, Jamaica is the General Secretary of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.