From The Bishop

‘The art of listening’ is a familiar phrase. To hear something is a natural response; however, to listen requires a degree of skill. We hear with our ears; however, we listen with our heart. The Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent speaks about the importance of listening. Jesus takes Peter, John and James to the top of a mountain to pray. While He was praying His clothes became dazzling white and Moses and Elijah appear. In the midst of this experience the Father said, “This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him.” Lent is a time to go to the ‘mountain top’ to listen to the Lord.  During these forty days we are called to remove all of the loud ‘noise’ so that we can focus on the art of listening to the Lord. Lent helps us to develop a ‘listening heart’. God speaks to our hearts and calls us to a deeper relationship with Him. We have a wonderful example of this in the First Reading - God called and Abram listened. The Lord initiated a profound relationship with Abram and his descendants by establishing a covenant. When we listen to the Lord good things happen! The Collect of the Mass states this so well: “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 insight made pure, we may rejoice to behold your glory.”