We live in a day when there is a lot to listen to. We are surrounded with sound and a multitude of voices. The voices are telling us this and that about everything. No doubt we all have our favorite voices for information, news, and music. But do we really listen? And if we do listen, are we only listening for what we want to hear. In our Gospel reading today Jesus is transfigured and the Father says, “This is my Beloved Son. Listen to him!” The three apostles cringed in fear when they heard this. I suppose the magnitude of who they were following was beginning to register. They began following him because they believed He was the Christ, the Messiah. But like us, they had misconceptions about what this meant. They hoped for a supernatural, political leader who would deliver them from all enemies. Is that not still happening today? Are not many eyes searching the horizon for that special leader who will deliver what they want? In the embrace of diversity, we have witnessed the gigantic spread in desires and preferences, concerning all things. But none have been more divisive than the moral expectations concerning human behavior. If we are paying attention, we too wrestle with the questions. But we don’t really need to wrestle that much. “This is my Beloved Son. Listen to Him!” Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.