Aug. 6, 2012 Monday: Feast of Transfiguration

Today we celebrate the great Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mt. Tabor. A few years ago, I stood on Mt Tabor in the Basilica of the Transfiguration with 6 pilgrims. We had journeyed to the Basilica to celebrate mass and tour the site where Jesus had taken three of his disciples, Peter, James and John, to pray. Instead of quiet prayer, the disciples witnessed the Transfiguration of Our Lord and thus had a glimpse of the Glory of God.  With the Transfiguration having been a significant moment in the life of Christ, I was anticipating that our visit to the Basilica would be a powerful experience for the pilgrims and me. Unfortunately, we had arrived late -- at 11:30 am – and the church was going to close at noon, so we had to rush in order to celebrate mass. As I stood in the Chapel of the Angels in the Basilica proclaiming the Gospel, I tried to imagine what the disciples had experienced -- seeing Moses and Elijah and the Glory of God shining through the face of Jesus, and hearing the voice of God the Father say, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him” – but I would not let my mind wander too far because of the time constraint.  As soon as mass ended the Franciscan priest caring for the church rushed us out and closed the door behind us. We had gone there to savor a moment in the life of Our Lord and yet there was not enough time to stay and pray. As we exited the Basilica, the bells began to peel, as it was noon.  I wondered later the significance of the bells ringing exactly at the time we walked out of the church. Perhaps the significance lies within the message of the gospel, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

(Photo above: Chapel of Angels, Basilica of Transfiguration, Mount Tabor, Israel)

“Listen to him.” It seems like such an easy, straight-forward command, yet it seems so very difficult for so many of us much of the time. Listening seems like it would be easy to do, but truth be told, many of us are not very good listeners; and not because we are hard of hearing or deaf. One reason many of us are not good listeners might be because we are too busy doing all the talking. Look at how we pray, for example. We just talk and talk to God, or maybe at God, without letting God get a word in. God is not someone whom we call upon just when we are in need. God is the Creator of all, and as our loving Father, He desires to be in a relationship with us. He knows what is for our best, even when it doesn’t look so good to us.

Listening, however, is more than just the perception of sound with our ears. There are so many sounds in our world that while we may perceive them, we do not listen to all of them. Most sounds we simply ignore. True listening requires a response but this does not mean we need to say something. Rather, it means attending to what was said, recognizing its meaning, and making it part of our inner, conscious experience.

How often do we rush through our day not taking time to listen to Our Heavenly Father, or savor all that He has given us? How many times have we come to mass with so many things on our mind that when mass is over we cannot remember the Gospel or anything else about the mass? As we go about our daily life, we need to make time to pray and listen to God. We need to listen to Him in the scriptures, in the sacraments and in the way He is active in our lives. (Photo below: Basilica of Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, Israel)