The voice figures prominently in today’s reading. In the first reading, the voice of God seems to be asking if not the impossible, then the inhuman. Isaac – was the child God promised so that Abraham could become the founding father of “a great nation.” With relief, we discover that in fact the point of the story is the very opposite to what it appears to be on the surface: whereas human sacrifice was commonplace in the ancient Near East, what is revealed is that God does not want human sacrifice. The voice of God takes center stage at the transfiguration that Jesus’ identity as God’s own beloved Son – a truth that literally makes Jesus glow. As Jesus descends the mountain, He starts to help His disciples to understand the meaning of His sonship: that He will be faithful and obedient to His Father, even to the point of having to give up His life.
As Christians, we believe that the transfiguration is not merely a past event but an ongoing reality. God’s voice continues to be at work in our world today, and in our lives. We need to learn how to listen and perceive at more than just a superficial level. That takes time and practice and commitment. When we do listen in prayer – when we are able to step outside our own expectations and preconceptions and focus – we find that God’s voice continues to be creative and transformative. By making time each day quietly to open ourselves to the presence of God, we make room for God to affirm our dignity as God’s beloved sons and daughters. Being children of the loving Father is something that shines out from our lives – because we have learn to listen to the voice.