Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C (2)

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C

Theme: “I AM, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB”

By: Fr. Cajetan Anyanwu

Homily for Sunday March 20 2022

This is the 3rd Sunday of Lent. God revealed His Mighty name to Moses and to all of us. To know someone very well is to know the name that person bears. This means that such a person is not strange to you. Knowing a person by name also implies having direct contact with such a person. This is why in most cultures of the world a child is given a name eight days after birth. Jesus also was given a name after eight days of his birth. Telling someone your name brings confidence, reveals your identity, and facilitates communication. God told Moses, “I am Who I am” (Ex. 3:1-8, 13-15). This is God’s self-assertion as the unchangeable God of our ancestors. He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

The letter to the Corinthians confirmed our relationship with our ancestors in the faith. “I want to remind you, brothers how our fathers were all guided by a cloud above them and how they all passed through the sea” (1Cor. 10:1-6, 10-12). This indicates that we are following the same God whom our fathers in faith worshipped. It means we must not joke with our faith. “The man who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall.” This is a warning to us so that we be careful and be serious with our faith.

Jesus also traced our faith back to those who practiced it before us. Most of them suffered not because they were the greatest sinners but because of the wickedness of their rulers. “Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices” (Lk. 13:1-9). Above all, the parable of the fig tree is a lesson for us to know that God allows us some time to repent, to change and be better. This time of Lent is such a time for us to call God’s name and be serious with our faith. Happy Sunday.

Fr. Cajetan Anyanwu