Gospel-Homily for Second Sunday of Lent (2025)

Read the Homily

“Listen to Him”– Maybe Not So Easy, But Achievable.

Moses tells us, “Thy shall not kill.” We can handle that. But then Jesus comes along and complicates it. Not only do we not kill, but we must love our enemies, pray for our persecutors, and turn the other cheek. Moses tells us, “Thy shall not steal.” Easy enough, but then Christ, again, complicates things by telling us if someone steals our coat, we are to give them our shirt and to forgive as many as seventy times. What do you do when simple turns too complicated?

One of our toilets had a leak. It was an easy fix for me. The first thing I did was turn off the water at the bottom of the toilet, but there was no washer, so the water could not be stopped. I had to find the main water supply and stop the flow from there. I took off the toilet and saw that the flange was cracked. I found a replacement. I began to remove the old one, but I stripped the screws. Aggg. So, what do you do when a simple job becomes a complicated nightmare? You call Eric the plumber because he has all the power tools and the equipment.

Our dryer no longer worked, so I took it apart and found that the motor needed to be replaced. I installed a new one, put the dryer back together, and pushed the start button, and nothing happened. At that moment, I could have bought a new dryer, but I needed to know what I did wrong. So I called the appliance service guy, and I asked him why I failed. He told me that I did everything right except that I put in a 110 motor for a 220 outlet. Aggg!

That is life. So, what do you do when life is not easy? You look up and behold the beacon of light at the top of the Transfiguration Mountain and realize that there can be someone in your life Who has all the power and all the answers.

There is not a day that passes me that I do not hear the words, “I hate to tell you this but….” They come to me because I am convinced that I can get anything done with the right person with me. That is why the Father can tell us to “Listen to Him.” It may not always be easy, but we know we can do anything with Him.