“I the lord am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the place of slavery.”

Father Loomis begins this homily, centered around the spiritual discipline of obedience- by quoting this passage from the first reading in Exodus. He explains how he used to see this verse as a type of manipulation… God saying that he had freed the Hebrews from slavery under Pharaoh only to make them slaves to himself. Father shares how he was wrong in this thought and offers a new perspective- with a comparison of a dog with their collar and leash.

“Her collar and her leash keep her close to me who is her caretaker in a dangerous world. That is what God’s law does for us. It’s an extension of Himself in the present moment to keep us on the safe, straight, and narrow.”

Third Sunday of Lent:

First Reading: Exodus 20: 1-17

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 19: 8, 9, 10, 11

Second Reading: First Corinthians 1: 22-25

Verse Before the Gospel: John 3: 16

Gospel: John 2: 13-25