Third Sunday in Lent
Ex 3: 1-8a, 13-15;1 Cor 10: 1-6, 10-12; Lk 13: 1-9
Dc. Larry Brockman
Things haven’t changed much in 2000 years, have they? A tower collapses in downtown Jerusalem; a horrendous atrocity occurs in far-away Galatia, and how does the crowd surrounding Jesus interpret these events? They seem to think that the people who were killed by the tower, or those victimized by the atrocity, were bigger sinners, and so, God was targeting them specifically and what is more, that these victims even deserved it. It’s as if everyone else has a problem, but we don’t.
But Jesus counters this thinking very sharply. He says, no, indeed, these people were not greater sinners; they didn’t deserve destruction any more than anyone else; it just happened to be their time. And then he tells the crowd that unless they all repent, they will suffer the same destruction.
Well isn’t it the same today with us? We read the news, and are so preoccupied with what’s going on elsewhere, we don’t see the problems in our own home court. A school massacre occurs in Connecticut or Virginia or Colorado. And we say, there must be a problem in those places. Yes, there is a problem there, but there is also a problem right here. The problem is not selective; it is across the whole country. It is the work of the devil, and it is influencing all of us just the same as it is influencing people in Colorado or Connecticut or Virginia. It may manifest itself differently, but it is there all the same.
In the first reading, Moses encounters God through the burning bush. And the message the Lord gives is this: That He is their God, and that the people should listen to their God, have faith in him no matter what; keep His commandments; and then he will save them from their terrible enslavement to Pharaoh and Egypt. Further, the Lord designates Moses as his authority to speak in His name.
Then, in the second reading, Paul points out that even though God was present to the Israelites as they went and they had a leader, Moses, who was trying to guide them as a group, they only paid lip service to Him as their God, and His commandments; and they were not listening to Moses and the other leaders. And so, many of them really did not please God. They sought evil things and grumbled, and these were dealt with severely. So, God can be with us, and His authority can be right in our midst, but unless we recognize Him and respond to Him, we are subject to destruction. It can happen to us too.
Now, basically, the problem is this: The secular world is looking for justice, peace, and prosperity. But we individuals are just looking for our own happiness. The two need to be reconciled with each other, and that comes through God because only God can bring real truth to this tension. But, the trouble is that we cannot do it alone with God. The parable of the fig tree gives us a hint as to the answer. On its own, the fig tree was floundering. But notice the landowner agrees to delay destruction of his fig tree while the gardener applies water and fertilizer to it, and gives the tree another year to shape up. Jesus is telling us that God will delay our destruction as well- if we agree to be watered and fertilized by our caretakers. In our case, the gardener is the Church- it is the Church that has the water and fertilizer we need, the wisdom and teaching of God, the reconciliation of our self-interests with the greater good of society.
And so, the question for us today is this. When I am troubled, and pray for God’s help, what resources do I bring to my prayer and reflection? Do I listen carefully to what the Pope and Bishops have to say? Do I pay attention to the guidance that God gives me through the Church? Do I value the Bible and the Catechism and the other resources available from the Church? Because just like that fig tree in the parable we can only bear fruit if we are properly watered and fertilized with the right sources of inspiration. If our inspiration and thinking is tied to our own devices, or even worse, to what the secular culture is saying- like the people of Jesus time- then we are in trouble. But if our inspiration and thinking are based on the foundation that the Church provides, then we will not be caught by surprise when our moment comes.
