Be silent and listen

February 22, 2018
Deacon Faiva Po’oi
 
The first reading tells us that Abraham’s faith and trust in the one God became the goal of a new experience and relationship between Abraham and God. In the second reading, St. Paul helps us see that the resurrection of Christ proved once and for all that God has the power to snatch victory from defeat, to bring life out of death.
 
In the Gospel, the apostles Peter, James and John experienced just such a moment. On the Mount of the Transfiguration, they witnessed a transformation in the appearance of Jesus, an otherworldly glow that became so intensely white that they had to shield their eyes. And Jesus was flanked by the Old Testament prophets Elijah and Moses. Talk about a mountaintop experience! This was a moment they would recall and talk about for the rest of their lives. At the moment of this transfiguration, Peter, James and John did not know what to say. Imagine that – Peter, the man who never seemed to be at a loss for words, was actually speechless!
 
What can we learn from this Scripture lesson that will help transform us during this season of Lent?
 
All of us will experience moments in our lives when we fall silent – the death of a friend, being in the presence of grandeur, at times of surprise, shock or grief. This is normal. Let it be. Be silent. For Peter, James and John, the transfiguration was not a test to determine if they could come up with a brilliant response, as though it were a riddle to be solved, or a mystery to be explained. During this Lenten season, we would all do well to practice some silence. Turn down the noise outside, and more importantly: Turn down the noise that roars inside our heads. Resist the temptation to fill the air with more words. As the psalmist said, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
 
Peter was not able to let this special moment of glory – the Transfiguration – just go by without spoiling it with words. “It’s great to be here, Jesus. Let us make three tents: one for you , one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Sounds innocent enough, doesn’t it? But Peter’s failing, in addition to his inability to remain silent in the presence of God, was his determination to hold onto the moment as though to freeze it in time: To camp out on that mountaintop and, in a sense, create a museum of the Transfiguration. To want to cling to the glory of the moment was a very understandable sentiment, but it was one that clearly missed the call of Jesus. Jesus was challenging the apostles and each of us to climb another hill, a more difficult hill, the hill of Calvary. Peter, like so many of us during Lent, wanted to bypass Calvary’s suffering and its call to self-denial. Like Peter, so many of us would prefer a path in life that ends in glory, surrounded by saints, to a journey that ends in death on a cross, flanked by thieves. Wouldn’t we all?
 
But God had a better plan for Peter and all of us today. It was after Peter’s bungled attempt to speak that God’s voice spoke. His command was clear and simple. The voice of the Father simply said, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.” That’s it. Do not try to explain or diminish the mystery. Do not try to figure God out. Just listen. Listen. For on that day, on that mountain, that was all God wanted. Be silent and listen.
 
Perhaps the greatest act of obedience we can give to Jesus during this Lenten journey is to learn to be better listeners, to Jesus and to each other. It is a small, silent beginning to our own personal transformation.
 
Deacon Faiva Po’oi serves at St. Timothy Parish, San Mateo.