Do you know God's voice? Are you listening to it?

Lent is a time when we make deliberate efforts to carve out time and space just to focus on God-- to hear his voice clearly.

Jesus personally escorts his closest disciples to an out-of-the way place (an upper mountain) to experience his presence like never before and to hear God speak so clearly that they would never forget it.

When Jesus was baptized, a voice from heaven spoke to him and said, "You are my beloved son."

A similar event happens in today's gospel that serves as a sort of confirmation experience. Again, a voice from heaven says, "This is my beloved son," but this time, the voice is addressing, not Jesus, but his disciples- that is, to say, "This is my son right here, right now! Listen to what he has to say. Heed his words. Obey his commands. Follow his lead!"

When I was young, if my father told me to do something- and I didn't do it right away-- he would ask, "Did you hear what I said?" He was not looking for a verbal reply. His question was a demand to take action.

When God asks, "Are you listening?" he's not seeking a verbal reply, but compliance. Lent is a time to move from being hearers of the Word to being doers of the Word (James 1:22).