Listen to Him

Gospel: Matthew 17: 1-9

We have heard these words before - listen to him - at the waters of the Jordan when Jesus was baptized.  Now we hear them again on the mount of the transfiguration.  We hear these words again and again in the depths of our conscience, in the heart of faith as we journey through this vale of tears.  Throughout our lives these words continue to speak to us and sometimes haunt us as we reflect on our thoughts, words, and actions, on what we have done and what we have left undone.

For the most part we have not heeded these words.  We continue to find ways to hate our neighbor, to think, say, and do horrible things to untold numbers of people in the world.  From the wars we justify to the executions we celebrate, from the degrading prison systems to the abuse of the poor and marginalized, the immigrant, refugee, and migrant - we find untold opportunities to do other than what Jesus had done and taught.  And we create apologetic to maintain the claim that we are followers of Jesus.

But today we seek to ascend Mount Tabor so that we might be transfigured and changed anew.  Jesus spoke to Moses and Elijah about his violent death, not to plan that of others.  When we take on the mantle of non-violence, the burden of the cross, then we are transfigured as well.  We become the mercy of God on earth, extending healing, liberation, and nourishment to others as Jesus did, rejecting the path of violence for the path of mercy and love.  Let that be our Lenten journey today and evermore.