The message from the Father on the occasion of Jesus’ transfiguration is clear: This is my Son, the beloved, listen to him. This is the Messiah, the promised One who will show you the way to life. This is the Supreme Sacrifice I am making for the reconciliation of humanity. Let all who are lost in the midst of the destructive value orientations and false ideologies of today, listen to Jesus, for he is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Let all who are confused and frightened in a world that has more questions than answers, listen to Jesus for he is the answer to the riddles and puzzles of life. Let all who are groping in the dark and are entangled with the works of darkness, listen to Jesus for he is the Light that dispels the darkness of the world. Let all who are experiencing profound hunger in the depth of their being, listen to Jesus, for he is the Bread of Life, without whom men and women will starve to death. Let all who are thirsty for ultimate meaning in life, listen to Jesus for he is the living water that satisfies all thirst.
The Almighty Father invites all who are suffering the debilitation of sicknesses and diseases, to listen to his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, for he is the wonderful healer by whose wounds we have been healed, and by whose stripes we have been made whole. Jesus invites all who are troubled and distressed, to listen to him, for he is the Prince of Peace who brings peace to the troubled heart. Let all whose hearts desire to worship the true king, listen to Jesus, for he is the King of kings, before whom every knee must bow. Let all who are searching for authentic love, and who have been frustrated by the selfish exploitation which camouflages as love in the world, listen to Jesus for he is the supreme image of God who is Love. Let all who desire life to the full, listen to Jesus, for he is the resurrection and the life, who alone gives life. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So let all who have lived in sin and have had the agonising experience of alienation from God, listen to him, for he is merciful, and compassionate, and in him all penitents find forgiveness.
The 21st Century world is plagued by terrorism and counter-terrorism, civil wars, ethnic skirmishes, religious intolerance and violence, sophisticated crimes, inequity and multiple injustices. The world is full of bad news; from Israel to Lebanon, from Afghanistan to Iraq, and from Onitsha to Lagos, we hear bad news of war, violence and death. Now God the Father invites all who are tired of this bad news to listen to Jesus, for he is the Good News that has been sent into the world. He is the Good News that the world has been waiting for. Let all who are tired of the rot and the monumental corruption in our land and who earnestly desire a change, therefore listen to Jesus, for he is the Messiah who has come to free the people from the slavery of sin, and to bring them the freedom of the children of God. Let all who are tired of the ethnic bigotry and the political banditry in our country and elsewhere, listen to Jesus for he is the holy one who has come to open our eyes to the fact that we are brothers and sisters, children of the same loving Father.
Let the poor and the lowly in our land and elsewhere whose life has been a calligraphy of pain and a mosaic of agony, now listen to Jesus, for he is the Compassionate One who has come to preach the good news to the poor. Let the widows and the orphans, the blind and the lame, and all the victims of injustice who have looked forward in faith to God’s year of favour, now listen to Jesus, for he is the anointed one of God whose visitation will bring about vindication. Let all those who hunger for truth and thirst for justice and those who earnestly desire unity, peace and stability in our land and elsewhere now listen to Jesus, for he is the Reconciler who unites the hearts of parents and children, the one who nullifies all ethnic and class divisions. Let all those who have been wounded and humiliated by the prevailing circumstances of violence and crime now listen to Jesus, for he is the Wonderful Healer, who stitches together the torn nerves and mends the broken bodies of fragmented humanity.
However, listening to Jesus has far reaching implications. For those who listen to Jesus, it cannot be business as usual. Yes, listening to Jesus means taking his word seriously and doing his will. Listening to Jesus means allowing him to dwell in us, and we in him. Listening to Jesus means a life of repentance and conversion, a life of humility and obedience, and a life of forgiveness and generosity. Listening to Jesus means abandoning the prevalent logic of power, wealth and domination and embracing his civilisation of love. Listening to Jesus in obedience to the Father means a total change in our orientation to life, and daring to pursue values and ideals that may be totally different from the dominant values and ideals of our age.
