The Third Sunday of Lent, Year C
Readings: Ex. 3:1-8a, 13-15; 1 Cor. 10:1-6, 10-12; Luke 13:1-9
By Fr. ROBERT ALTIER
In the readings today, we are given a number of warnings that encourage us to live not merely good lives, but productive lives. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about some people who died tragically in Galilee and in Jerusalem. He asks if the reason these people died was because they were greater sinners or more guilty than others. Jesus then answers His own question, stating they were not worse than others, and then goes on to say that if His hearers did not repent, they would die the way these unfortunate people died.
Our Lord also told the people a parable about a man who looked for fruit on his fig tree, but finding none, ordered the tree to be cut down. The gardener reasoned with the man and asked him to allow the tree to remain for one more year, stating that he would cultivate and fertilize the ground in hope that the tree will bear fruit. This is all excellent, but then he says, if the tree does not bear fruit, then it can be cut down.
In the second reading, St. Paul speaks of the Israelites who were part of the Exodus from Egypt. He says that all these people were under the cloud, passed through the sea, were baptized into Moses, ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink. These were all gifts God had bestowed upon the people, but rather than being grateful, they grumbled against God. With only two exceptions, every person who came out of Egypt died in the desert and never entered the Promised Land.
In the first reading, we hear about Moses and the Burning Bush. God tells Moses He has come to save the people from their afflictions and to lead them to a “good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” It was God’s desire and intent to bring all these people into the Promised Land. God revealed His Holy Name, thus showing His love for and closeness to His people. But despite everything the Lord did for His people, they ultimately rejected Him. Most of the people did not reject Him by saying they did not believe, but simply by refusing to honor and serve Him.
St. Paul tells us that these things happened as examples for us. We are not to desire evil things, we are not to grumble against God, we are not to think we are secure in our salvation. We have all been baptized into Jesus Christ, we are all children of God, we have all eaten the Bread of Life, but this does not guarantee that we will get to Heaven. On the contrary, it means we are held to a higher accountability because we have been given so much more.
We recall our Lord’s words that to whom more has been given, more will be expected. The Israelites were given wonderful and extraordinary gifts from the Lord, but what Catholics have been given exceeds those gifts infinitely. God has not only revealed His Name to us, but His very self, and gives Himself to us in the Holy Eucharist as our spiritual Food and Drink. We are not just His people, but we have been raised to a supernatural level to be His children. As such, we are called to show to the world what it means to be a true child of God. How grateful are we to the Lord for all He has given us? Are we living in a way that truly honors, serves, and glorifies God?
The devil has been very successful in his efforts to turn souls away from God. Most of these people will still acknowledge that they believe in God, they just don’t see the need to go to Mass every week, to go to confession, to live according to the moral teachings of the Church, etc. So often these people seem so confident because they believe in God, but in them we see the problem Jesus spoke of in the Gospel. We need to repent and bear good fruit in our lives that honors, serves, and glorifies God. It is easy to say we believe in God and give Him lip service, but are we living lives of virtue and good deeds that show we are children of God?
We live in the most selfish society in history, so we need to ask ourselves where we have given into selfishness and failed in charity. We need to consider where complacency has replaced our zeal for serving the Lord. We need to consider where social media and other forms of entertainment have replaced our spiritual lives. To believe in God is good, but to enter into Heaven we must bear fruits of repentance that honor and give glory to God!
