Below is part of Sunday's homily
(Second Sunday of Lent)
(Second Sunday of Lent)
Lent calls us to listen and, for some, it might not be easy:
- Some people talk all the time and never listen to anyone. They are like a one way road. They do the talking and expect others to do the listening;
- Some seem unable to make time to listen to anyone or anything that is happening around them. They make sure they are always too busy to stop and listen. Their minds are constantly busy with what they want to do;
- Some only listen to those who think like them. Those of us who saw the birth of the internet, thought at that time that the internet would open our horizons giving us a diversity of views on different topics. The truth seems to be that search engines (and YouTube among others) make sure we live in a bubble giving us more and more of the same way of thinking;
- Some "pick and choose" who they would listen (and who they would not). It is interesting to read that St Benedict asked that, when the abbot would look for counsel, every member of the community be consulted because God might reveal his will through the youngest.
I wonder myself how much we are ready to listen to our young people in the Church. They do attend our diocesan meetings but not very often do they share their view on the matters being discussed;
- Some do not listen because they think they have all the answers. Think of Peter. When Jesus’ announced that he would be rejected and killed, Peter took Jesus aside and said: “that should not happen”. As it had been revealed to him by the Father that Jesus was the Son of the living God, Peter thought he did not need to listen to Jesus. He thought he knew it all or, as it happens to some, he would listen to someone who thought differently;
- Some struggle to specifically listen to Jesus putting him at the centre of their lives. In today's Gospel passage Peter says: "let us build three tents: one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah". Moses (and not Jesus) seems to be a the centre "of this picture". For some it is the same: they do listen to Jesus but the pressure that comes from the family, from friends, from society leaves Jesus in second place in their lives.
The quality of our daily listening is important. As John tells us that we cannot love the God that we do not see unless we love the brother or sisters we do see, we might be deceiving ourselves thinking we can listen to God when we are not ready to listen to anyone else. Jesus might be that "other" coming to us.
Our call today goes beyond listening. It is a call that implies "doing". It is the one we witness at the annunciation to Mary when she says: "let it be done to me according to your word" or the one she herself would ask from the servants: "do whatever he tells you".
May she intercede and journey with us during this Lenten Season towards Easter!
