THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
23 MARCH 2025
By
this time in the Gospel of Saint Luke, people recognize that Jesus is an
authentic teacher. So, they ask a
pressing question. They want to know why
those Galileans had been murdered by Pilate.
The common answer was that this disaster is a result of their sin. Jesus refutes that answer and adds another
example. He mentions the eighteen people
who had been killed by a falling tower at Siloam. No, he says, they have no more guilt than
everyone else in Jerusalem. Jesus refutes
the common solution that disasters, either human or natural, are not
punishments from God for sin.
We can
identify with these questions, because disasters are still a part of our lives
today. When a disaster happens, we
realize how vulnerable we are. Any of us
could have been on that plane that crashed into the helicopter earlier this
year in Washington DC. We could have
been in the paths of the tornadoes ripping through the south last week. We empathize with the victims and their
grieving families. We become more aware
that these disasters can happen at any time to any of us. That is why we were marked with ashes at the
beginning of Lent. More aware of our
immortality, we use the disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to turn
away from sin and become more closely aligned with Jesus Christ. The ashes are not intended to frighten or
make us paranoid, but to move us to repentance.
The parable
of the fig tree helps us to understand the dynamics of the Lord working in our
lives. Even though the fig tree had been
growing for three years, it is not bearing fruit. When the owner of the orchard wants to cut it
down, the gardener asks for more time.
The gardener promises to cultivate the ground around it and fertilize
it. He argues that these actions will
cause the fig tree to produce fruit. The
gardener is Jesus Christ, and he is working through this Season of Lent to
cultivate the ground around us and provide fertilizer so we can produce good
fruit. He gives the tools of prayer,
fasting, and almsgiving to cultivate that ground. He the Sacrament of Reconciliation for
fertilizer. Lent invites us to be honest
about whether or not we are producing good fruit. Are the Lenten disciplines enabling us to be
more patient, especially those who drive us crazy? Are we responding to the needs of other
people, especially the poor and the vulnerable?
Are we working to overcome chronic behaviors that tear us down? Can others see a difference in the way we
act? Are we beginning to let go of the
anger, resentment, and desire for revenge that tend to consume us? God is looking for us to produce good fruit.
In the
first reading, Moses does not look for God.
Instead, God seeks him out and reveals his presence as a fire burning in
a bush without consuming it. Moses
throws himself on the ground and hears God speak to him. God uses seven verbs to describe God’s
activities on his behalf. God has observed the misery of his people. God has heard
their cries. God knows their sufferings. God has come
down to deliver them. God will bring them to a land. God has seen
the oppression. Finally, God will send Moses.
These seven
verbs describe God’s actions through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in our
lives, especially during the Season of Lent.
In their journey in the desert, the Israelites did not always trust
these verbs. They often grumbled against
God and Moses. We are also tempted,
especially on our journey through the desert of Lent, to complain and
grumble. But the Divine Gardener keeps working
with us. The Lord continues to seek us
out and journey with us. There is a
wideness in God’s mercy, and we must open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts to
allow him to continue to work with us, so that we can bear good fruit.
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