MARCH 2000

"This is my Son, my beloved. Listen to him." (Mk 9:7)

    The evangelist mark, and also Matthew and Luke, recount the fact that one day Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain where an extraordinary event took place. Before their very eyes Jesus was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white and Moses and Elijah appeared, in conversation with him. Then a cloud came, covering the apostles in shadow, and out of the cloud a voice, the voice of the Eternal Father, addressed them with these words:

This is my Son, my beloved. Listen to him!

  That same mysterious voice was heard at the beginning of Jesus’ mission, at his baptism in the Jordan: "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’’ (Lk 3:21-22; Mk 1:9-11; Mt 3:13-17).
    This time, however, the Father is addressing the disciples of Jesus, and all of us too, inviting us to listen to his Son. The key word this month therefore is: listen.
    When did the Son speak? Where can we find his words? In the Gospels. Let’s open them and read them with an attitude of love in our hearts. The Gospel contains the words of Jesus.
    But he speaks to us in other ways as well.
    How can we recognize his voice? How can we distinguish it from the many others we hear and tune in to its wavelength?
    There is one special moment when he speaks to us: in prayer, and the more we seek to love God present in our heart, the more his voice makes itself heard, the more it guides us from deep within.
    Every encounter of our day can be an opportunity to listen if in all our contacts with others we try to be like a loving silence fully open to the other, whoever he or she may be, because—and Jesus explained this to us (see Mt 25:40)—he conceals himself in every human being.
    How different our relationships would be if we did more to cultivate this rare quality of listening, which at times is the only way we have to show attention to people around us, even strangers!
    The point is this: The best way to ready ourselves to listen to the voice of God is to actually listen to our brothers and sisters.

This is my Son, my beloved. Listen to him!

    Jesus’ voice has an unmistakable tone. It is loud and clear when he is present among us through our mutual love. His presence among two or more persons united in his name (see Mt 18:20) is like a loudspeaker of the voice of God in our heart. So it will be easier to hear it because we will be more in tune with his thoughts and his teachings.
    Furthermore, in Luke’s Gospel Jesus speaks of listening to those he sends: "Whoever listens to you listens to me" (Lk 10:16). They were the 72 disciples. Today in the Catholic Church this refers to those who have been entrusted in a special way with his message: his ministers, who proclaim the Word of God.
    But there are also "witnesses" of Jesus who, by listening to his word and putting it into practice in a determined way, make it resound again throughout the world and open people’s hearts to it.
    To sum up, this one voice of Jesus is addressed to us in many ways: in the innermost part of our heart and from the mouths of brothers and sisters, from the pulpit of a church, from the pages of his Gospel or in the charisms of those who bear witness.
    The Word of Life for this month will help us to listen—and to live—what Jesus wants to tell us.

Chiara Lubich

The commentary to the Word of Life is translated in 90 different languages and dialects, and reaches more than 14 million people worldwide, through the press, and radio and TV programs. If you would like to read experiences of life related to this or to past "Words of Life," they can be found in Living City magazine, the monthly publication of the Focolare Movement. For information, or to subscribe, write to: Living City, P.O. Box 837, Bronx, NY 10465. A book, From Scripture to Life, containing Words of Life with commentary by Chiara Lubich and related experiences of life is available through New City Press, the publishing house of the Focolare, 202 Cardinal Road, Hyde Park, NY 12538.
To order the book or magazine, call: 1-800-462-5980. E-mail: info@newcitypress.com

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