I can't count the times that I've implored my children to listen to me. Usually, it is in the context of trying to get them to perform some routine task --- eat breakfast, get dressed, get in the car, etc. It seems as though they are deaf to my requests, as they just keep doing whatever they happened to be engaged in that moment.
If they don't seem to hear me, I raise the volume. This never works, because the problem is not that they cannot hear me, but that they are not paying attention. In fact, I don't just want them to listen to my words. I want them to respond. I want them to do as I request.
In today's Gospel reading, the disciples are thrilled to find Jesus in the company of Moses and Elijah. These are "A list" prophets, and no doubt the disciples feel that their miraculous appearance constitutes a divine endorsement of Jesus' ministry. They would, perhaps, like to leverage this event to enhance Jesus' popularity.
"Master," Peter says, "it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
A voice from the heavens intervenes in Peter's plan. "This is my chosen Son; listen to him."
This is, it seems to me, the equivalent of God telling his distracted children to pay attention. The disciples are excited about the appearance of Moses and Elijah, and hope to give Jesus a tent right along side them to enhance his reputation.
"Listen to him." This is an important message in Lent. If you're like me, you are easily distracted by the dozens of other voices and activities in our lives shouting for our attention. Jobs, families, financial concerns, even church activities can distract us from the simple practice of listening. In fact, I tend to spend more time in prayer telling God what I want than I do trying to tune my ear to God's voice and God's will.
The practice of "giving up" something for Lent is not merely a matter of denying ourselves sugar, grease, or other indulgences. The practice is meant to remind us, each time we crave something out of habit, to turn our attention to God and to listen for God's voice. Lent challenges us to develop an appetite, if you will, for God's voice that rivals our appetite for our favorite foods.
Lent calls us to develop a habit of paying attention to God on a regular basis. Who knows how loudly God is shouting to us right now, exasperated by our distracted state? It may not be Moses and Elijah who capture our attention --- it is more likely our own dreams of success, security, popularity and beauty. These are loud voices in our culture, and responding to them is encouraged and celebrated.
In today's first reading, God tells Abram he will become a great nation, and his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Abram listened to God, responded to God's words and embraced God's promise.
We are called to do the same --- not just to listen but to listen and respond, to listen and obey. This season we are challenged to tune out the other voices in our lives that lure us away from the rich rewards God promises. Bill Peatman writes from Napa.
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