Can You Listen?

“ From the shining cloud the Father's voice is heard: This is my beloved Son, listen to him.”

First Reading: Genesis 22:1-2, 9A, 10-13, 15-18

God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” he replied. Then God said: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,  and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust  on a height that I will point out to you.”

When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. “Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger. “Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.” As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.

Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said: “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing—all this because you obeyed my command.”

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19

Second Reading: Romans 8:31B-34

Brothers and sisters:

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?

Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us, who will condemn? Christ Jesus it is who died—or, rather, was raised— who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

Gospel: Mark 9:2-10

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus: ‘Rabbi,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and there came a voice from the cloud, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.


  As they came down from the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean.

Reflection
By Fidji Rivera-Sarmiento

"This is my beloved Son. LISTEN to Him.”

Hearing and listening are two different things. While hearing is passive, which merely deals with our auditory system capturing sounds around us, listening is active. It requires focus and understanding of the stimulus. It is a skill that we must develop for better communication.

But how do we listen when there is clearly no sound?

Let’s do an exercise. Sit alone comfortably. Relax. Inhale. Exhale. Close your eyes. Stay quiet and try to listen to the sounds around you. Isolate each sound. Try to identify the sound without looking. Try to locate where the sound is coming from? Did you hear someone talking to you? Ala-Moses or Abraham? Kid me not. Chances are you are listening to the voices in your head. That’s not the Lord talking to you.  And surely if you keep on hearing so many voices compelling you to do odd things, it’s time to seek for professional help.

So how do we actually “listen” to God?

During my master’s, I was privileged to watch a dance presentation by deaf high school students. All of them had totally no hearing since birth. They did a hip-hop number, and it was not just a synchronized group dance! They were a legit dance crew! Each had their turns, moving and shaking like they were abled listeners. Much to my amazement, I asked them through their teacher how they listen to the music. Some said they listen through their eyes. Most of them, they said they listen through the vibrations on the floor. One commented that he listens through his heartbeat. This proved only one thing. Listening is not only through the ears.

Thus when we listen to God speaking to us, we don’t only literally listen to the Word being proclaimed every Sunday, or during prayer meetings. We want to be consciously sensitive to the happenstances around us, and to examine the situations in faith. We must constantly ask the Lord, “What are You trying to tell me?” That is where the Holy Spirit comes in. That is why we pray for the Paraclete to inundate our minds so we may hear and devour the Good News of salvation.

As the transfiguration of Jesus is being proclaimed today, may we give Jesus the extra time to talk to us. As He consistently listens to our grievances and wishes, so are we task to listen to Him through the quietness of the Blessed Sacrament; through the advices of our parents; through the laughter of our children; through the social happenings around us; through the nature and their different phenomena. We don’t want to be deaf to the cries of the poor. We don’t want to be deaf to the whimpers of a misbehaving student. We don’t want to be deaf to the Lord’s message through the struggles that we tackle each day.

So before we open our mouths, before we act on something, let us all take time to stop and listen.

Prayer

Come Holy Spirit and teach us to truly listen. In these modern times, we are sorry if we are digitally distracted with all that’s happening around us. Pull us back. Wake us up. May we go out of our callous selves and be more sensitive to Your message through the people and circumstances that You send. May we listen well and follow Your voice so we don’t get lost in the dark wilderness of sin. Amen.