I have long enjoyed the comic strip Dennis the Menace for he depicts our human traits so well. One apt scenario that comes to mind shows Dennis with his dog, Ruff, walking along side Margaret. While he is pulling his red wagon, Margaret, clutching her doll, is busily jabbering away.
In the next panel, Dennis gives Ruff a sidelong glance while Margaret continues her chatter. This time, she is speaking directly to Dennis. The third panel shows Margaret wildly beating poor Dennis with her doll, saying, “Dennis, you’re not listening to me while I am speaking to you!” In the last panel, he turns to her and replies, “Margaret, I’m listening to you; it’s just that I’m not paying any attention!”
How readily do we listen to what someone else is saying? Listening isn’t always easy, especially if the conversation tends to be a monologue. Instead of listening attentively, I am busy with my own thoughts, waiting to either refute what is said or add my two cents worth. Meanwhile, I could be cheating myself out of learning something new from you.
By listening well, you hear more than just words. Admittedly, there is a risk to listening well, for when you do, you open yourself up to what the other person has to say. In the end, you may find yourself a changed person.
Such was the case for Abraham. He listened. Now, he could have ignored God. After all, he was seventy-five years old and in those days, travel was not an easy undertaking for anyone. When he ventured to the Promised Land, his life was changed forever. By truly listening to God, Abraham earned the distinction of becoming the father of our faith.
That was also the case for Peter, James and John when they witnessed the transfiguration. As they viewed Jesus in this new light alongside Moses and Elijah, they heard a voice that said, “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
They no longer saw Jesus as an itinerant rabbi making the rounds through the hills of Judea and Galilee or as a political leader who would liberate their homeland from the Romans. They now viewed Jesus as the one who could transform their lives if they heeded God’s command and listened to him. They came down the mountain very much changed by what they had seen and heard.
Transformation comes from letting go of the known and being willing to embrace the unknown. As a society we experience change in countless ways. That which we take for granted today in science, technology, economics and politics was unheard of a century ago; transplants, personal computers, credit cards, and presidential primaries.
What matters more to God is the transformation that can happen in us personally. In his letter to Timothy, Paul points out that by Christ’s actions, God has saved us and that we are being called to a holy life, not because of any merits of ours but according to God’s own design.
Unlike Abraham, most of us will not receive such a direct command from God yet each day we can experience God in our lives through prayer. Imagine God speaking to you now, “This is my beloved son, listen to him.” God affirms Jesus, his teachings and his mission. Who could give us better advice? Jesus has much to say to us, but first we have to listen well. That means putting aside our own agenda.
Listening to Jesus means getting to know him. He is not just another wise teacher, like Confucius or Buddha. He is the fulfillment of the long history of salvation beginning with Abraham, throughout the Old Testament that is represented in the Transfiguration by the appearance of Moses and Elijah. He is God made man, whose glory is beyond anything we can imagine. Peter, James and John got a glimpse of it, and it transformed their understanding of him.
So listen to him. What Jesus says may not always be pleasant or attractive, but he knows what he is doing. He has ultimate authority beyond anything anyone else may utter.
Most of us can probably hear exactly what Jesus is saying to us right now. He is always inviting us to follow him more closely. Recall how often he urged his listeners to repent. Perhaps he is asking you to come to him in the sacrament of reconciliation, so that he can help you break a debilitating sinful habit that is holding you back from spiritual maturity.
Maybe he is asking you to reconcile with a friend or relative you haven’t spoken to in awhile, to forgive someone whom you don’t think deserves to be forgiven. Doing that could transform both you and the person who offended you.
Perhaps fear is holding you back from doing that but Jesus is also saying to you, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid to listen and change. We must not let fear even of the coronavirus overpower us. Granted, transformation is hard. We often resist change so we resist heeding what Jesus is telling us to do. “Leave me alone!” we protest. Then we wonder why the world is in sad shape.
Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist and scriptures and when he does, lets pay attention to him and respond, “OK, Lord, I believe in you. I want to listen to you. Thy will be done, Lord, thy kingdom come.” If we heed his advice, we too can be transformed to make this a better world.