Listen!

Last week, we saw Jesus as he prepared to begin his ministry. He withdrew to the desert to pray and to listen to his Father. He was also confronted with the “other side” of the future, listening to the temptations, the promises of power, riches and fame. He chose to remain faithful to his Father, listening in the depths of his heart to the promise of the Father’s love and support.

This week we see Jesus nearing the end of his ministry, spending time on the mountain, again listening to his Father but also conversing with Moses and Elijah. Not only is this a time of communion for Jesus, but it is a time of revelation for the disciples who were with him. They saw Jesus with Moses, who gave Israel the Law and led God’s people into a covenant relationship with God. Elijah, whom they saw in this moment of revelation, represented the prophetic tradition that continually called the people to live more fully the relationship with God that was promised in the covenant.

Finally, the disciples heard the voice from heaven, declaring Jesus to be beloved and calling them to listen to him. Listening is a common thread in the liturgy for this second Sunday of Lent. Abraham listens to God, who promises that Abraham’s response to God’s call will be carried on through the generations in his descendants. As Abraham listens, he is invited to trust and respond, to be faithful to this relationship. The disciples are challenged to listen to Jesus, the beloved Son as well as to the voice of Moses and the prophets.

As wonderful a spiritual experience as being on the mountain and witnessing the transfiguration might have been, the disciples were not to remain on the mountain. The experience on the mountain was a time of strengthening their belief in Jesus and a reminder that their call was to return to the broken, chaotic world and bring the joyful experience to the world. Their call was to be in the world and to be instruments of God’s will for the world, building God’s kingdom.

Like the disciples in the Gospel, when experience the presence of God, have a strong spiritual moment, we would prefer to “remain on the mountain”. As wonderful and necessary as those moments are, that is not where we are called to be. Like the disciples, we are told to listen to Jesus, who sends us into the world to continue his work, to bring God’s love and healing to those we encounter along the journey. That is our vocation, our call – to be his presence in our world and continue to build the kingdom, as difficult and seemingly hopeless it may seem at times.

By Richard Beaudette, OMI