Gospel-Homily for Third Sunday of Lent (2026)

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Play the Hand.

I was at a priest convention, and after the conferences, the leader said, “Let’s have a poker tournament tonight for fun. We divided ourselves into tables of five. They handed out the cards. My hand consisted of a 2, a 4, a 7, a 9, and a jack. I do not play poker, but I know when I am dealt a bad hand. I had no pairs or matches. Still, I lasted to the final round with one other player. That is the beauty of poker. It is not about the hand you were dealt. It is about how you play the hand. If anyone in the ancient world was dealt a bad hand in life, it was the Samaritan woman. In the Semitic world, she was considered at the lowest social status. In addition to that, she had five husbands, so she was not able to join the other ladies at the watering hole to avoid the gossip. She had to go alone at noon. Also, she had no credentials. She was not a bishop, politician, or any one of influence. Jesus handed her a card. “Go get your husband.” She played the hand, went to her home, and told everyone what had just happened. She converted an entire village.

God was looking through his Rolodex and pulled out Moses’ index card. If I were God and I read the description of Moses that he was a runaway slave with a rap sheet for murder, I would have continued to look through the index cards for someone more competent for the job.  But God instead gave Moses a card, “Go to Egypt.” Now Moses was aware that God wanted to save Israel, but he didn’t think in a million tries that Pharaoh would allow his free labor to walk away. Still, Moses played the hand.

You would think that Jesus would have picked someone a bit more qualified than Peter. Perhaps he could have found someone with a better prayer life or one who knew the Scriptures at the Temple. Yet, Jesus gave Peter a card, “Follow me.” Peter played the hand.

Do you know anyone with a photographic memory? They can be a lot of fun. One day, one of my confreres came up to me and said, “Peter, today is your father’s birthday; he will be eighty today.” I said, “How did you know that?” He said, “You told me just five years ago when he was seventy-five.” I could have used that brain for my comprehensive exam. I had to read and remember the data from a pile of books. I didn’t need photographic memory because God gave me a card: “hard worker, nose to the grind.” 

You may think that you were not dealt a good hand in life, but that is the hand you need and want to have if you want to be fulfilled. You just have to play the hand.