Awaken Series: Reflection on the 2nd Sunday of Lent
By Jennifer Menneci,
Contributing writer
“Here I am, Lord” seems to be the story of my life as a parent. The Lord blessed me with three children and since then life has been a variety of “call and response” scenarios. The call looks different every time. Sometimes it’s the sound of a whispered phone call in the middle of the night, ”are you awake? Can we talk?” Other times it resembles the thunder of many horses as children come barreling through the house, heading towards the pool yelling, “yeah we’re here and we’re hungry!” And other times, the call might be a frantic, “don’t worry, nothing’s broken.”
My response looks different every time as well. It might sound something like, “I didn’t notice it was one o’clock in the morning, yes I’m awake.” Or it might resemble the grumbling of an ogre, “who let them in my house!” At times, it might even sound like a small voice whispering, “what hospital are you in?”
No matter the scenario, my response usually ends with, “of course I can” or “I’m on my way.” God called Abraham, asking for everything he had. Abraham responded, offering everything he had. The Lord told Abraham he would be blessed abundantly. I continually feel abundantly blessed.
How is this even possible, that I feel abundantly blessed while sometimes feeling exhausted, overburdened or paralyzed with fear? It’s that dazzling white of the transfiguration. The voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” God said to me at the birth of my children, “Here are these three children. Listen to them. Hear my voice in their requests, needs and demands.” Peter, James and John looked around and saw no one but Jesus. I, too, look around and see Jesus. Lent reminds me that the Lord demands everything from me. My children remind me how abundantly I am blessed.
Like Samuel from a time long ago, I don’t want to be woken up from a sound sleep to hear the voice of anyone calling me. Especially at my age when a sound sleep is not always easy. Like Abraham, I am not young and yet I live to hear the call, “Mommy, can you…?” And, like Peter, James and John, I continually feel “good that I am here,” if only to hear the call and be able to respond, “Yes honey, here I am…”
Jennifer Menneci is Director of Faith Formation of St. Paul’s Church in Rome and St. Joseph’s Church in Lee Center. She also serves as an assistant in the Diocesan Office of Child and Family Catechesis.
