Listen

Second Sunday of Lent20 March 2011
Come, today, and listen to his voice: do not harden your hearts.

First reading Genesis 12:1-4
The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous that it will be used as a blessing.
‘I will bless those who bless you:
I will curse those who slight you.
All the tribes of the earth
shall bless themselves by you.’
So Abram went as the Lord told him.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 32:4-5,18-20,22

Second reading 2 Timothy 1:8-10
With me, bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy – not because of anything we ourselves have done but for his own purpose and by his own grace. This grace had already been granted to us, in Christ Jesus, before the beginning of time, but it has only been revealed by the Appearing of our saviour Christ Jesus. He abolished death, and he has proclaimed life and immortality through the Good News.

Gospel Matthew 17:1-9
Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone. There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.’ When they heard this the disciples fell on their faces overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them. ‘Stand up,’ he said ‘do not be afraid.’ And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but only Jesus.
As they came down from the mountain Jesus gave them this order, ‘Tell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.’

Reflection
By Pam Manzano

“Listen to the song here in my heart, a melody I’ve start and I will complete...” This is how the popular song, Listen, goes like. How well do we really listen?

Listening is a part of our intrapersonal communication skills. If we do not know how to listen, chances are, we will have difficulty in communicating with the people around us. Reality wise, people only listen to the things they want to hear. They almost always prefer to selectively listen than to actively listen and understand. When we only hear what seems appealing to us, we are losing the chance to know the whole story and the truth, thereby resulting to miscommunication and misunderstanding, which then further results to gaps, quarrels and sometimes, an end to what used to be a harmonious relationship.

Listening is twice as hard as talking. We have a drawer full of alibis whenever asked why we did not listen or failed to prove that we did. If everyone only knew how to listen well and effectively, this world would be a better place.

Through today’s Gospel, God reminds us to listen. In these times wherein chaos is just around the corner, responding to God’s reminder is an effective tool in combating violence and all the other things that resulted from simple miscommunication and misunderstanding.

God is calling us to be the salt and light of the world. He is calling every one of us to do great things in His name. Are we hearing His voice or are we spiritually deaf that we cannot hear even the slightest whisper from Him? Pray. Read. Devote. These are the best ways we can start communicating with God. If we can stand long hours listening and communicating with others, there is no way for us to say that we have no time to talk with and listen to the Greatest Friend we all have.

Remember, communication is a two-way road. It is not all about the talking and expressing how you feel. Most of the time, listening effectively does the job and puts us back in the right track. An effective communicator talks less and listens more.

Father, teach us how to listen to You with all our hearts. Help us spread Your love and mercy by keeping our ears open for Your word, our hearts burning with compassion and our minds seeking to understand. In Jesus' name, Amen.


Next week on God-speak