The Sermons We Don’t Remember

A man once wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper. He said, “I have been going to church for 30 years. During that time, I have probably heard about 3,000 sermons. But honestly, I can hardly remember any of them. So I wonder: are priests wasting their time preaching, and are we wasting our time listening?”

That letter started a great discussion. People wrote back and forth. Some agreed with him. Others defended the value of preaching. Then one reader sent a simple response that quieted the debate.

He wrote, “I have been married for 30 years. During that time, my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals for me. But I cannot recall the entire menu of a single one of those meals. Yet I know this: they all nourished me, strengthened me, and helped me live.”

What a beautiful truth. We may not remember every sermon we have heard, but the Word of God does something deeper than memory. It nourishes the soul and strengthens faith.

Jesus said, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Bread keeps the body alive. The Word of God keeps the soul alive. Food gives strength to our muscles. The Word gives strength to our faith.

This is why we keep coming to church. We listen to the Gospel and receive the sermon. We gather around the holy table for Badarak because there, Christ Himself nourishes us, feeding us in ways deeper than we can fully understand.

When we eat physical food, we do not need to understand every vitamin, mineral, and process of digestion for the food to strengthen us. We simply receive it. The body knows what to do. The soul also knows when it is receiving life.

Friends, Christian life needs consistency. One meal cannot sustain the body forever, and one prayer cannot carry the soul for a lifetime. Just as the body needs daily bread, the soul needs prayer, God’s Word and Holy communion again and again.

You may not remember every spiritual meal, but your soul remembers. Your faith grows. Your heart becomes stronger. And little by little, God’s Word shapes you from within and helps you live a spiritually healthy life.