Lent: Listening and transformation

by Rev. Sergio Arcila  |  03/10/2024  |  From the Clergy

Dear friends, we have already walked more than two weeks of our 2024 Lenten walk/desert. And many of us heard the announcement and invitation of the Lord Jesus: “The time has come and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15) There has come a time of great importance to stop on the path/life and allow ourselves to be questioned by the Lord about our conduct in life in the face of the proposal of the Kingdom of God. More than talking about the “Kingdom of God/Heavens” is to live it and make it present in every moment of our life project. Living the Kingdom of God is living as Jesus lived. Hence the need for “attentive listening to Jesus himself.”

On the second Sunday of Lent the gospel of Mark told us: “and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son, listen to him” (Mark 9:7) To live as Jesus wants, it is required to KNOW HIM; and to know it, LISTENING is essential. Perhaps there is a lot of noise and pollution around us, which become obstacles to attentive listening. Hence the value of SILENCE AND THE DESERT.

The theologian José Antonio Pagola tells us: “If we persevere in patient and sincere listening, our lives begin to illuminate with new light. We begin to see everything more clearly.” 1 Today more than ever we should put more effort and effort into “disconnecting” from a lot of empty and superficial information, not very “nutritious” for life and getting closer to the Words and message of the Master of Galilee.

Attentive and reflective listening to the gospel propels us with the grace of the Holy Spirit to an authentic transformation of our thoughts and mental schemes.

Many blessings in Lent 2024

Rev. Sergio Arcila