>>How long does it take before we can really know someone? How much time do we need to spend with the person? What information do we want to have before we can say that we really know whomever? Today we hear about Peter, James and John meeting Jesus on that mount, and they hardly knew Jesus at all. 

They heard about him from others, but with little more than hearsay from others, they live their lives and they follow Jesus. Today however, in this mountaintop experience, Peter, James and John find out something very important about who Jesus is. They hear the voice of God proclaim, This is my beloved son. I remember then what God told them after that. He simply said, listen to him. Listen to him. And friends, that is the simple message today. Listen to him.  

It’s the source of our hope and encouragement. We are reminded to listen to Jesus with a new ear. To listen with new and open hearts. Why? Listen so we can come to know Jesus at a deeper level. Not one yet achieved whatever stage of life we may be in today. We’re all being reminded to listen.  

Maybe recalling this lesson from kindergarten will help us integrate this message today. Remember, one of the very first lessons we were taught in school early on? Stop, look and listen before crossing a street. Good advice because today we are all so busy. Sometimes we don’t pay attention to what’s most important in front of us. There’s so many distractions when it comes to our prayer and spiritual lives.  

In this time of Lent, and the story today of the Transfiguration reminds us that we have to take time to stop, look and listen to how Jesus is inviting us to be his faithful followers today and how we are being challenged and called to bring new disciples to our church in their faith in Jesus.  

We know that relationships don’t grow without listening to each other, and that’s true of our relationship, my friends, with Jesus – as it is with any friend or parent or spouse. And the question for us then is: Am I? Are you really taking the time to listen to Jesus? It’s a little bit of a challenge for us today because if we are really listening as those disciples first listened on that mountaintop.  

What else can we do except to make decisions to be different? To live truly as Christ.