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Lectionary Readings for the 1st Sunday of Lent, Year A

http://www.pcentral-online.net/catholic/lectionary/2nd-sunday-lent-a.html

“This is my beloved Son…Listen to Him.”

The gospel for the second Sunday of Lent is from
the gospel of Matthew.  It shows the mystery of
Christ as He was transfigured before the apostles
Peter, James and John.  The account of His
transfiguration tells us of how His face became
as dazzling as the sun, and his clothes as radiant
as light. It also tells us that Moses and Elijah
appeared and conversed with Him.  This impressed
upon Peter who then said to Jesus that they would
build three booths on the spot: for Jesus, for
Moses and for Elijah.  But then a cloud came over
them and a voice spoke which said, “This is my
beloved Son on whom my favor rests. Listen to Him.”
After this, the vision disappeared and the apostles
are left with Jesus who said to them, “Get up! Do
not be afraid.”

As we read the text of this gospel, several themes
come to our attention again: the voice from the
heavens (which also spoke at Jesus’ baptism at the
river Jordan), the tranfiguration event happening
up on a high mountain (which refers back to the
Sermon on the Mount and to the times Jesus sought
prayer and solitude), and the encouraging words of
Jesus, “Do not be afraid”.  The passage is so rich
with meaning that we can derive much profit for our
spiritual life.  Let us dwell primarily on the voice
that spoke and said: “Listen to Him”.  This voice
is apparently the voice of the Father who always
affirms Jesus and His Sonship and the mission that
was entrusted to Him: to preach and teach the peoples
of God and His Kingdom.  And the injunction “Listen
to Him” is very important because as we read the
gospels, we see that only a few listened to Jesus.
Even at a certain point of His ministry, all the
apostles doubted as to His authority and mission
and like the others, would have left Him.  But
since Jesus was obedient to His Father and was
certain of the love of the Father for Him, He
continued on His mission and called many to listen
to His word about the Kingdom of God.

This Lenten season is a time for more listening:
in our prayer, meditation and contemplation. We
often forget to “listen” to God because we are so
busy earning a living and building a family or a
business.  But Lent is a time for more listening
on our part.  And we are called to especially
“listen” to Christ speak about His passion and
death - more specifically the words He uttered at
the time of His arrest, trial, sentencing to
death, His tortures and His crucifixion.  When
the Father in this mystery of the Transfiguration
tells the apostles to “Listen to Him”, He was
reminding them that they should be “grounded in
their sight”.  Listening to Jesus means knowing
that He is to suffer and die and rise again after
the third day.  The glory of the Transfiguration
made them forget to see that Jesus will still
have to undergo shame, disgrace, suffering and
death.

As we give more time to “listening” to God in
prayer, we will eventually recover that attitude
of placing God at the center of our lives. That
is why the Church also calls her faithful to
abstain from meat and to fast because these
spiritual exercises helps us to “listen” better
to the Word of God.  We fast from the comforts
that we are accustomed to and discover that
spiritual dimension that we have always longed
for: a space for peace and reconciliation, for
silence and meditation, for reflection and
prayer.  And there is a wisdom to be obtained
from the Lenten spiritual exercises; it connects
us to the rich tradition of the Church that
tells us in many, many different ways how Jesus
is indeed our Savior and Redeemer and the One
who loves the Church so much that He was willing
to give His life so that we may have hope of
salvation.