‘This is my Son the Chosen One. Listen to him!’
Friends,
We have come to the second Sunday through our Lenten journey, and the invitation is to listen.
‘Listen to him …!’ Lent is a season of seeking out and listening to the Lord. Every year on this Second Sunday, we read an account of the Transfiguration: a transforming spiritual encounter linking Jesus to the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. We foretaste the glory of the Risen Christ and a vision that his presence within us transforms our lives.
The first reading tells of a meeting between God and Abram. Through Abram’s faith, God makes an eternal covenant with the people of Israel. The Psalm is a song of longing and hope in the faith of the Lord: a call to prayer that encourages us to seek God’s light, guidance, and strength. Paul entreats us to be united in our faith in the letter to the Philippians. Christ will transfigure us. In Luke’s Gospel account of the Transfiguration, Jesus takes his close companions to pray. Here Jesus is placed firmly in the context of the fulfillment of God’s Covenant to the people of Israel. The weariness of the disciples praying with him echoes the past and glimpses of Jesus’ coming death. This short passage has an unambiguous message for us today: ‘Listen!’.
As we enter into prayer this week, let us remember we are never alone as we pray. As companions in Christ, we are part of an eternal community united by the light of Christ within us. Christ is our help and our stronghold: together, let us answer the call and listen to him.
Joy and Peace
