We come to know who we are through our relationships with others: children, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends, classmates, spouses. We grow by spending time together, sharing our thoughts and feelings, just being together and present to each other. We talk and listen. Ignatius encourages us to grow in our relationship with Abba Father and His Son, our Lord and brother in their Spirit by entering into colloquy with Them. He describes it "as one friend speaks to another". In prayer we give voice to our relationship with God; we thank Him for our life and all of His blessings, His love, compassion and mercy for us. We tell Him of our love for Him and ask that our love may grow and extend out to all in our lives.
In Sunday's Gospel Luke describes Jesus' transfiguration. He takes his three friends and goes up the mountain to pray and while in prayer he is seen as he truly is: fully human and fully divine. Prayer changes us too; we experience ourselves to be God's beloved children. We are freed, healed, strengthened, forgiven and loved. God speaks to us through the beauty of His created world, His scriptures, His community of the Church, all of our loved ones. During this Lenten season let us make a little more time to speak with and listen to our God.
Fr. Ralph Huse, S.J.
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