From the shining cloud the Father's voice is heard: The is my beloved Son, hear him.
A reflection from Father Tudgay for the Second Sunday of Lent
In the two distinct moments in the New Testament where the voice of the Father is heard, it is in reference to the identity of Jesus as his divine son. This seems pretty straightforward and obvious, especially because of our familiarity with the Scriptures. “This is My Beloved Son; Listen to Him!” The Father’s voice is heard for the benefit of those who are witnessing those moments in Jesus’ mission where his identity as the Word of the Father is disclosed to engender deeper faith in his disciples.
We saw Jesus obediently follow the Father’s will by being led into the desert to fast for forty days. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus talks about not doing his own will, but “doing the will of the one who sent me”. This obedience to the Father’s will has a direct impact on human salvation. While Jesus’ teachings and actions were occasionally misunderstood by his disciples, his death and resurrection followed by the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost gives them the ability to understand the trinitarian foundation to the salvation of the human race.
We may struggle with the Church’s teachings on one issue or another. We may currently be struggling with a crisis of faith. We may struggle with whether God loves us or not. The voice of the Father provided the word of truth to Jesus’ disciples then as it does now. The season of Lent is the opportunity for our trust in God’s work in our souls, in and through the Church’s sacramental life, to bear the fruit of conversion. The reassurance of our trust in Christ in and through the Church’s mission, rooted in the sacraments, captures the power to transform us into the revelation on Tabor witnessed in today’s Gospel. To “listen” to Christ, as the Father instructs us, is to immerse ourselves trustingly in the Scriptures and in the Sacraments.
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O God, who have commanded us to listen to your beloved Son, be pleased, we pray, to nourish us inwardly by your word, that, with spiritual sight made pure, we may rejoice to behold your glory.