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(5th March 2023) Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent

READ: (Gen 12: 1-4; 2 Tim 1; 8-10; Matt 17: 1-9)

REFLECT: Listen to God to be blessed, to share the faith and be loved sons and daughters of God…

Dear friends, we are in the second Sunday of lent. The liturgy of the word invites us to listen to God to become beloved sons and daughters. We all of us know the difference between hearing and listening. We know that the act of hearing is one of the five senses where we hear a quite a lot of noise, tones and tunes but listening is an act done to only what is pertinent or particular, because we focus what we like or interested or what is motivating and inspiring.

Even in spiritual direction and counseling too, the spiritual director or counselor gives importance to listening and listens to directee and clients, in order that they understand deeper and help them to overcome obstacles of life. I am sure the word of God has a special power that pulls us toward God. That’s what we hear from the letter to the Hebrews, “the word of God is alive and active, it cuts more finely than any double edged sword,” (Heb 4:12).

Merriam-Webster defines hearing as the “process, function, or power of perceiving sound; specifically: the special sense by which noises and tones are received as stimuli.” Listening, on the other hand, means “to pay attention to sound; to hear something with thoughtful attention; and to give consideration.”

Yes, we need to pay attention and give a thoughtful consideration to God’s word we listen; we need certain disposition to listen to the Lord and the one who completely disposes, pays attention to listen to God, without an undivided mind and heart inherits merits and benefits, blessings and graces from God. So based on the liturgy of the word, I would like to share with you three points of reflection;

1.     Listen to God – to be blessed:

None of us wants to avoid blessings from God. Because, blessings of God makes us blessed and become a blessing for one another. One form of blessing that we obtain in life from God is by listening to his voice, words and commands. One such episode, we have in the first reading from the book of Genesis in and through the call of Abraham where God asks him to move from a known country to an unknown place. The Lord promises and assures Abraham of blessings, making him great and through Abraham all the families on the earth to be blessed.

We all of us know or read in the book of Genesis that Abraham was richly blessed with kith and kin, health and wealth, his family was blessed and indeed great blessings to all the families of the earth. We call Abraham as Father in faith. It is because he listened to God and responded promptly without any doubt and suspicion. He trusted God fully and dared not in asking questions nor hesitated to move to a faraway country, a movement from settled place to unsettled place.

Today we all of us know the pain of moving from one place to another place although at times we move to a place where people have already been settled. Even then, we have quite a lot of inconvenience concerning the language, region, custom, culture and people etc. We enquire as many as people possible before we could go to a particular place to settle. Because, we are not certain of what and how the new place to live would be. Yet, Abraham moved to a place where God wanted him to move. It is basically because of his trust.

However, the end of the first reading gives the age of Abraham as seventy five. He was already old and had no children. Abraham could have thought to himself what he would gain in this old age and that too without children by going to a faraway place. But Abraham moves to an unknown place without any enquiries, confusions and suspicion. It is because of his faith in God. He just listened to God, discerned his conscience and just moved. That’s what Pope Francis would aptly say, “obeying God is listening to God, having an open heart to follow the path that God points out to us.”

Today, something similar we need to do. We need to trust God and obey his words. Be for sure, the one who trusts God would definitely listen to God and be prompted by his spirit, because he or she trust the one he or she loves. Today what fails us to obtain God’s blessings is lack of trust in God, unwillingness to listen to God’s voice and be moved by his spirit. Most of us fail and are confused because we are not able to discern what is the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the evil spirit.

We don’t allow us to let go of our own wisdom and plans. It is because we are tied so much to the self than to God. When we let go of our own wisdom and plans, rely on the power and providence of God, God makes impossible things possible for us, turns our battles into blessings. So let us have trust in God and in his plans, God will surely give us the disposition to listen to Him and make us discern the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  

2.     Listen to God – to share faith:

Pope Francis inspires us with meaningful questions and thoughts: “Are we capable of bringing the word of God into the environment in which we live? Do we know how to speak of Christ, of what he represents for us in our families, among the people who form part of our daily lives? Faith is born from listening and is strengthened by proclamation.”

Yes, something similar we find in the second reading from St. Paul in his letter to Second Timothy. St. Paul calls us to share in the suffering for the sake of Gospel by the power and grace of God for his purpose, which God has begun in Christ Jesus. The faith that St. Paul cherished and nourished was his constant listening to Jesus and his word. Looking into the life of Paul as Saul we know that he travelled vehemently to persecute and destroy Christians. He in his attempt to persecute or destroy Christians and Christianity must have heard the cries and agonies of people running for safety and security, nothing affected him nor disturbed him but the voice of Jesus on the way to Damascus made an impact and changed the entire life-style of St. Paul, with the words, “Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

In all surety, these were the words that disturbed and changed Paul drastically. The words of Jesus perhaps prompted him and propelled him to do as best as he can to bring people for Jesus. That’s faith of St. Paul in Jesus and he believed the Lord who changed his life in fraction of seconds would also bring about a huge change in the world. Therefore, St. Paul invites us to partake in the sufferings of Christ to spread the faith to people.

Perhaps, the previous verse of the 2 Tim1: 6-7 we see St. Paul saying, “I invite to fan into a flame, the gift of God you received, through the laying on of my hands. For God did not confer on us a spirit of fearfulness but of strength, love and good judgment.” The verses manifest that the Spirit of God abiding in us gives us the courage, love and good judgment. If we allow the spirit of the Lord to work in us by listening and discerning, the spirit of God would give us the courage and strength to proclaim Christ everywhere, even in the midst of persecution and pain.

Perhaps our ability to listen can be influenced by various things that occur in our lives, or bad habits we have picked up in one way or another. Most of us are disturbed and distracted by one’s own thoughts and approaches; we are wrapped up in our own circle of perception and understanding, fail to see the brighter side of life that God has prepared. Just imagine if St. Paul were not to listen to Jesus on the way to Damascus and act, he would have remained the old same Saul inflicting pain and bringing curses on himself, although God could have used some other means to put an end to persecution. But St. Paul listened to Jesus, strengthened by faith in the midst of sufferings, proclaimed Jesus to the world. So let us listen to Jesus, strengthen our faith and share the faith of Christ to one another like St. Paul

3.     Listen to God – to be loved

The one who listens is loved by the other, because by listening we make a conscious effort not to just hear what others have said but we take it in, digest it and understand better. Above all listening enhances our ability to understand deeper and better, makes us to communicate well. It makes the experience of our conversation delightful, because he or she listens to us and makes us enjoy the moments as memories. It is true even in our day to day relationships. People whosoever listens to us, we have a soft corner, because by listening we value, respect, accept and appreciate persons and their presence.

I am sure this is same with our God too. God loves people whoever listens to him, if they don’t listen to him, God makes sure that he brings them on his track. There could be many examples in the bible but Abraham in the Old Testament and, Mary, Joseph and St. Paul in the New Testament are proofs to it. More than anybody, God loved Jesus because Jesus is the Son of God; Jesus listened and obeyed God’s word at every moment of his life whether it is birth or ministry or suffering or passion or death, Jesus listened to God and did what was pleasing, therefore God exalted him and loved him more than all.

Today, one such proof of God’s love for Jesus is what presented in the Gospel reading, the transfiguration. The main content of the Gospel passage I would like to share are the words of heavenly Father, “This is my son, the beloved, with whom I am well-pleased, listen to him.” we note here the key them to reflect is the aspect of listening. God gives an invitation to the disciples Peter, James and John on Mount Tabor to Listen to Jesus.

Pope Francis in his message for Lenten penance and Synodal journey in 2023 has chosen the passage of Transfiguration of Jesus and shares that during the season of Lent the Lord takes us with him to a place apart. While our ordinary commitments force us to remain in usual places, often repetitive and sometimes boring routines, we are invited to ascend a high mountain in the company of Jesus and to live a particular experience of spiritual discipline as God’s people.” Yes, if we want to ascend the high mountain along with Jesus we need to listen to his voice, words and commands to have fruitful and delightful experience of being with Jesus.

Moreover, Pope Francis emphasizes that the first path or a proposal for a Lenten penance and Synodal journey is “Listen to Jesus.” Listening to Jesus through the word of God that the liturgy of the Church offers, word of God in the bible, through brothers and sisters especially in the faces and the stories of those who are in need, listening to people of God in the church for a Synodal journey.”

Yes for a fruitful Lenten observance and to walk together as a church we need to listen to Jesus and to one another. Today we all of us represent the disciples Peter, James and John at the Mount Tabor to whom God the Father made known them be beloved sons and daughter by listening to Jesus. So as Disciples and followers of Christ, if we want to continue to be his disciples, we must listen to Jesus our Lord carefully, attentively, with an undivided mind and heart to get what Jesus communicates and converses with us. Once we are committed to listening God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, we will be loved and become beloved sons and daughters of God.

Perhaps today what prevents us to become beloved sons and daughters of God is our feel or expectation that God should speak to us directly to listen to him. We fail to recognize or understand that God speaks to us in persons, places and daily situations of human life. When we listen to one another for building up of the kingdom of God, mutual up building of human relationships and for the promotion of good and constructive things to happen, God speaks to us. So let us pray for the discernment of our spirit to listen to God’s voice, choose good and promote good, permeate God’s love to one another, making all God’s beloved sons and daughters of God.

RESPOND:

Do we listen to God to bring blessings to human kind?

Do we listen to God to share the faith that we profess in God to humankind in the midst of ups and downs of life?

Do we listen to God to become beloved sons and daughters of God and make others to become the same?

Let us listen to God obtain God’s blessings, share the faith we profess and become beloved sons and daughters of God in life. Amen.

God bless us all…

Live Jesus