Fr. Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for the 1st Sunday in Lent A

February 22, 2025, Matthew 4:1-11
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022226.cfm

I see a message on my desk after the phone rings. I pick up the phone and return the
call. The first words I hear are, “Father Rick, my son just died in a freak accident.” Here
begins another wilderness, a new Lent for a family that never saw it coming.
It’s hard to go into this desert with Jesus when we can do nothing for ourselves to
relieve us from the pain that seems to be relentless. This desert is a trying place we
would not want to be in.
The emptiness in our hearts is the wilderness that Jesus enters. In there, He hungers
and thirsts for something this world cannot satisfy. And yes, it’s never a quick fix. We
want to turn the stones into bread, but something greater is at work here: the cleansing
of our hearts. It is the clean of heart who see God working, even in our deserts.
I invite you to enter these 40 days of Lent alongside any mother who has been at a
breaking point for months. Morning, noon, and night, her baby has been crying and
fussing with colic. Mom’s helplessness exhausts her, as she finds no relief for her little
one.
She called a friend with many children to ask how long the crying would last. She can’t
imagine taking any more, watching her child suffer. Her friend’s response was simple
but direct, and really hit home: “God will give you enough grace for today.”
When you are in the middle of a difficulty that is too much to bear, do not lose heart, but
welcome the Lord to be with you in it. Surrender to Him and welcome Him into your
desert. Jesus Himself is your grace for today.
If you know someone who is bearing the cross that only Jesus can seem to carry, get on
the cross with them and bear their suffering as much as you can with them. They will
know Jesus is with them when you stay with them today.
Your presence means more than anything you can say or do.
Peace be with you.
Fr. Rick Pilger, IC
www.bscchurch.com