Listen to Him

February 21, 2009

Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested. By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible. Hebrews 11:1-3

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. Mark 9:7-8

Piety

LISTEN carefully, my child, to your master's precepts, and incline the ear of your heart (Prov. 4:20). Receive willingly and carry out effectively your loving father's advice, that by the labor of obedience you may return to Him from whom you had departed by the sloth of disobedience.

To you, therefore, my words are now addressed, whoever you may be, who are renouncing your own will to do battle under the Lord Christ, the true King, and are taking up the strong, bright weapons of obedience.

And first of all, whatever good work you begin to do, beg of Him with most earnest prayer to perfect it, that He who has now deigned to count us among His children may not at any time be grieved by our evil deeds. For we must always so serve Him with the good things He has given us, that He will never as an angry Father disinherit His children, nor ever as a dread Lord, provoked by our evil actions, deliver us to everlasting punishment as wicked servants who would not follow Him to glory.

(Prologue, The Rule of Saint Benedict)

Study

How often do we actually hear the words of God in His own voice?

We hear God through the silence of the sunrise. We hear God’s voice through the cries of the newborn. We hear God speak to us through the Bible, the prophets and the saints. But today is different. Today is one of the two episodes in the New Testament where God’s actual voice is heard and related to us. After speaking to us in silence for so long, God is moved to utterance by the presence and communion with his Son.

What does he say? Two things:

"This is my beloved Son.”

“Listen to him.”

Up until now, Jesus is seen as a great teacher and healer. But now, everything changes. What Jesus does and says takes on added importance with this “third-party endorsement.” This gives Jesus a unique position among all the teachers of his day. There is no other teacher who can rival him with his message or with an endorsement like this. “This is my beloved Son.” Jesus now elevates above the level of John the Baptist and the prophets.

No longer do we need to come to our own conclusion. The question ceases to be “Who do you say that I am?” Now the identity of this itinerant preacher is established. Unfortunately, everyone was not there…there was probably a smaller audience than those gathered at Jesus’ baptism when we first heard directly from God. That message was similar.

After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened (for him), and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove (and) coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:16-17

What difference does this message make in our life? If God has elected these two occasions to speak so people can hear, it is interesting to note the key points God makes. God’s priority was to first establish Jesus’ credentials and identity. Not only are we told that God is pleased with Jesus, but also God urges us to pay attention to what Jesus does and says.

In light of the obstacles that Jesus faces, we have a strong lesson paired up in the Letter to the Hebrews. Through the example of the faith exhibited by Jesus and the saints, God guarantees the blessings to be hoped for from him, providing evidence in the gift of faith that what he promises will eventually come to pass. In the Hebrew Bible, all they had were promises and commandments. Now, in the person and divinity of Jesus, we see the promises begin to be fulfilled.

So what? Who cares? What’s in it for me?

Here is why this matters so much -- Our universe is put in order by these words from God. This matters because God is reaching down and pointing us to our priorities. And the verbs God uses are significant. First he uses the present tense, the here and now when God describes who this person Jesus is “This is my beloved son.” Second, he tells us to “listen,” just like we learn St. Benedict does when he starts he rule for life.

Fist, God tells us to recognize Jesus around you. Look! Maybe Jesus no longer stands in our midst as a human being. However, we must recognize the gift of Jesus by being open to a relationship with Him through the Spirit.

Second, once we have opened our eyes, then we must open our ears. Listen! Listen to Him. But don’t stop there. Once we know what he says, we must follow Jesus and carry out the plan. Only when we do both will we also please God.

Think back to that first Ideal talk on your weekend. If we center our lives on the ideal God delivers today, how could we ever go wrong? Instead, we go wrong by not recognizing Jesus and not listening to what he tells us to do.

Action

Take note today of where you see Jesus in your world, your family and your environment. Then, once you recognize Jesus, listen to what He is saying. How does Christ speak to you today? What is He inviting you to do in the world this week?