Readings: Second Sunday of Lent | USCCB

This Second Sunday of Lent we hear two powerful invitations: “Go forth” and “Listen to him.” 

In the Book of Genesis, Abram is called to leave behind security, familiarity, and control. God does not give him a map, only a promise. “Go…to a land that I will show you.” Abram’s holiness begins with trust. He does not yet see the fulfillment of the promise; he simply goes. Lent often asks the same of us. We are invited to step away from old habits, comforts, and certainties, trusting that God is leading us somewhere deeper, even if we cannot yet see where. 

In the Gospel of Matthew, the disciples are taken up a mountain and shown Christ in glory. The Transfiguration reveals who Jesus truly is, but it also prepares them for what is coming. Peter wants to stay in that moment, yet the voice of God does not say, “Stay here.” He says, “Listen to him.” 

Listening is hard and requires surrender. It means following Christ not only in moments of light but also down the mountain and toward the cross. Abram goes. The disciples listen. Both movements require trust. Lent calls me to ask: Where is God asking me to go? What voice am I truly listening to? 

What speaks most to me is the Father’s voice: “Listen to him.” I often fill my life with noise – my own worries, other people’s opinions, and endless distractions. Truly listening to Christ requires silence and humility. Lent invites us into both. We are called to go forth from whatever keeps us spiritually comfortable and to listen more closely to the voice of Christ. That may mean letting go of distractions, choosing prayer over noise, or trusting God in an area of life where the path feels uncertain. Lent reminds me that faith is movement. It is going when called. It is listening even when I am unsure. It is trusting that the same Jesus who reveals His glory on the mountain also walks beside me in the valley. 

Linda Agustin 

Social Work major, Psychology and Catholic Studies minor 

Readings: First Sunday of Lent | USCCB

“Lead us not into temptation,” a line from the Our Father, has always disturbed me.  Why would God want to lead us into temptation?  The reality is that God cannot be led into temptation, nor lead us into temptation (CCC #2846). Some scholars hold that the prayer asked God that we not fall into temptation.

In Genesis 3:5-6, the snake tempted Eve, and the scriptures were vague if Adam was present or not but do say the fruit on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was tempting.  Literally, from the beginning of creation to the present, humans have been tempted to sin, to disobey God.  This first temptation wasn’t just about food, but control, as Satan said, “You will be like gods.”

This is the point of today’s readings for the First Sunday of Lent, which are always taken from either Matthew, Mark, or Luke.  Today Matthew lists the three temptations symbolic of our human struggles.  From stones to bread represents our struggle with reliance on God versus self-sufficiency.  Jesus being tempted to throw himself off the parapet of the Temple represents the struggle of satisfying our physical desires with doing right in the eyes of God.  Worshipping Satan is the temptation of lust for power (seekerofchrist.com).

In taking human flesh, Jesus showed us that it is humanly possible to resist temptation and not sin.  Scriptures say that Jesus was tempted by all things and did not sin; he knew our struggles.  The Letter to the Hebrews says, “Tempted in every way, yet without sin” (4:15).  It’s not easy to resist temptation, but a lot easier than the cross.  It comes down to faith in God and loving as Jesus did.  Lent is about growing in our ability to resist temptation and lead holier lives.

Fr. Thomas Saucier, O.P.

Associate Chaplain, Campus Ministry