A meditation preached on February 19, 2026, at Kintore College, Toronto.

In his 2026 message for Lent, Pope Leo speaks about listening.

The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into a relationship with someone. Then he refers to the image of Moses standing in front of the burning bush.

He says: In revealing himself to Moses in the burning bush, God himself teaches us that listening is one of his defining characteristics: “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry” (Ex 3:7). Hearing the cry of the oppressed is the beginning of a story of liberation in which the Lord calls Moses, sending him to open a path of salvation for his children who have been reduced to slavery.

This is a task we can discover during Lent, and identify some of the obstacles to proper listening.

Music: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.