On the Mt. of Transfiguration, Peter, who always had something to say about anything, was babbling on about capturing the moment by building three tents or booths to remember Jesus, encounter with Moses and Elijah.  As he was speaking a cloud engulfed them, much to their fright.  Then a voice spoke from within the cloud, “This is my Son, my chosen One; listen to him.!”

Moses knew of the presence of God in the cloud at Sinai and at the tabernacle during their 40 years in the wilderness.  Elijah knew the power of God in the cloud on Mt. Carmel.  A cloud the size of man’s hand as it drifted in from the Mediterranean and blackened the sky as it grew into a storm breaking a long drought.  But now the voice in the cloud calls attention to “my Son”, who is greater than and existed before, those former leaders.   He is “my Chosen One.”  From now on “Listen to Him.”

The Greek word for listen is “akouo,” which means hear or listen, but also hear and follow, hear and respond.   Negatively the word is used, “They hear but do not hear.”

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday when in Joel 2:13, we will hear, “Return to the Lord…he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”  St. Paul will tell us, “(God) made (Jesus) to be sin even though he had never sinned.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) And Jesus reminds us (Matthew 6:19-21) Don’t count on the things you think are most valuable on earth because they won’t last but count on the things from heaven which will last forever.

Listen to Him.