Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent, Year B

Listen to Him

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Parish

Baton Rouge, LA, USA

March 4, 2012

Sisters and brothers, it is the transfiguration of the Lord. The gospel says: “Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart from themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white...” Then two great figures of the Old Testament- Moses and Elijah appeared and started conversing with Jesus. I wonder what they were talking about! But their appearance and the transfiguration of Jesus made the mountaintop a wonderful place to be. Because shortly after that, Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let me make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” The gospel said that Peter did not know what he was talking about. Yes indeed! He wants to make three tents- one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. What about him, James and John? The man surely was carried away by the beauty of Jesus’ transfiguration and by the amazing presence of two of the greatest OT figures. 

The gospel tells us that Elijah and Moses are discussing with Jesus. I ask again, what were they talking about? Let’s look at it this way. Remember Moses was the supreme law-giver of Israel. He was the one that received the Ten Commandments. Elijah was the greatest of the OT prophets. He was looked at as the prophet who brought to his people the very voice of God. When these two giant figures met with Jesus, what did they possibly say to him? They said to him, “Go on Jesus!” In Jesus they saw the consummation of all that they had hoped and longed for and looked forward to. Moses and Elijah (representing the Law and the Prophets respectively) confirmed that Jesus is the Messiah. But their confirmation wouldn’t have been enough without that of the Father. The Father spoke from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” 

A Christian by definition is a follower of Jesus Christ.  She/he is someone who listens to Jesus because you cannot follow someone you are unwilling to listen to.  We are in the season of Lent. During this holy season, the Church emphasizes the practice of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. The Gospel reading on Ash Wednesday taken from Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18, Jesus speaks of how we should give alms, how we should pray, how we should fast. The Lord does not want us to blow our trumpet when we give alms as the hypocrites do. He does not want us to parade our prayer in public places just to get people’s praise as the hypocrites do. Jesus also does not want us to appear gloomy when we fast in order to tell people that we are fasting. He wants us to give alms. He wants us to pray. He wants us to fast. But alms-giving, fasting and prayer are not the goal. They are not the end. They are means to the end.

The Father wants us to listen to his Son. To listen to him therefore means doing what he has asked us to. In this case, we must pray, fast and give alms especially during this season. But as we pray, let’s remember that the greatest prayer is praying to be more like Jesus. As we fast or abstain, let’s remember that the greatest fasting and abstinence is avoiding sinful acts. As we give alms, let’s also remember that the greatest alms-giving is giving ourselves completely to Jesus. Jesus did not just give alms to the needy; he gave himself completely to all. Giving ourselves totally to him is the greatest alms giving. And the best decision we can make during this period is to decide to live better, and to follow the Lord wherever he leads us.

The Father declares from heaven, “Listen to him.” Listen to what my Son tells you. Listen to what he communicates to us through his Church. Listen to my Son if you want to live; listen to my Son if you want to be happy; listen to my Son if you want to experience peace. Listen to my Son if you want to be faithful to me. Listen to my Son if you want to have your life secured. Listen to my Son if you want to experience eternal bliss in the world to come. Obey my Son and it shall be well with you. We can fast for all we can, pray all the time, give everything we own to the poor, but if these external disciplines are not as a result of inward conversion and renewal, then we are wasting our time. We must listen to Jesus who says in Matthew 3: 2, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near.” In Mark 1: 15, he says, “The time has come, the Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” Jesus loves us so much and desires what is good for us. It is this love for us that drives him to cry out “Repent for the Kingdom of God is near.” Now this call to repent is a call to abandon sin because sin hurts. It takes away our peace and joy. Sin cuts us off from life and dries up within us the very source of our freedom and dignity. Let’s go of sin and let God in our life. 

The Father says, “Listen to him.” To listen to Jesus is to be a disciple of Jesus, and to be a disciple of the Lord is to walk with him to Golgotha. As we walk with him, as we talk with him, as we listen to him, our human nature is being transformed into the likeness of divine nature. By listening to him, we become more and more like the person we listened to. By listening to Jesus, we too can be transformed and transfigured. Our face too will radiate the glory of the Lord.