Third Sunday of Lent
Readings for the Third Sunday of Lent (C Cycle)[1][2]
Readings for the Third Sunday of Lent (A Cycle)[3]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible (C and A Cycles)
Readings and Commentary:[4]
Today in the Church the Elect who are participating in the Right of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) will be presented with the Creed. Because of this the Cycle A readings may be used. An A Cycle post is provided here for those who wish to use those readings.
Reading I: Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15
Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro,
the priest of Midian.
Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb,
the mountain of God.
There an angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in fire
flaming out of a bush.
As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush,
though on fire, was not consumed.
So Moses decided,
“I must go over to look at this remarkable sight,
and see why the bush is not burned.”
When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely,
God called out to him from the bush, Moses! Moses!”
He answered, “Here I am.”
God said, “Come no nearer!
Remove the sandals from your feet,
for the place where you stand is holy ground.
I am the God of your fathers, “ he continued,
“the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.”
Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
But the LORD said,
“I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt
and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers,
so I know well what they are suffering.
Therefore I have come down to rescue them
from the hands of the Egyptians
and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land,
a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Moses said to God, “But when I go to the Israelites
and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’
if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?”
God replied, “I am who am.”
Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites:
I AM sent me to you.”
God spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,
has sent me to you.
“This is my name forever;
thus am I to be remembered through all generations.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15
The passage from Exodus is the story of God’s call of Moses from the burning bush. The Lord indicates that he has “come down” indicating that He will intervene in the plight of the Israelites.
There is concern from Moses that he must be able to tell the Israelites the name of God in whose name he comes. The Lord names himself “I am who am.” Giving no name that can be used to have dominion over him as ancient Samarian tradition suggests (see Genesis – man names the animals as a sign that he has been given dominion over them). This is the origin of the term “Yahweh” used to name God in some English translations. It is transliterated Hebrew shortened from “Yahweh asher yahweh” or “He causes to be what comes into existence”. As an interesting side note, the use of the term “Jehovah” was a misreading of the Hebrew pointed text.
He goes further, instructing Moses to tell those in bondage in Egypt that he is the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. This identification was cited by early Christians as proof of the resurrection, since the patriarchs live on in God who is the God of the living.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11
R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills,
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
The LORD secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11
Psalm 103 praises God for this compassion and forgiveness. It recalls Moses’ mission and the salvation brought through it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
that our ancestors were all under the cloud
and all passed through the sea,
and all of them were baptized into Moses
in the cloud and in the sea.
All ate the same spiritual food,
and all drank the same spiritual drink,
for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them,
and the rock was the Christ.
Yet God was not pleased with most of them,
for they were struck down in the desert.
These things happened as examples for us,
so that we might not desire evil things, as they did.
Do not grumble as some of them did,
and suffered death by the destroyer.
These things happened to them as an example,
and they have been written down as a warning to us,
upon whom the end of the ages has come.
Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure
should take care not to fall.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12
St. Paul begins here linking Christian baptism to one of its ancient symbols, Moses leading the Hebrews through the parted waters of the sea. He goes on to link the Eucharist to God feeding the (the Hebrews) in the wilderness with manna, alluding also to water flowing from the rock at Horeb (Exodus 17:6ff). Yet because they rejected God’s commandments and sought instead material goods most of those who rejected God were struck down.
The evangelist concludes this selection speaking especially to the Jewish converts who point to their heritage as justification for salvation instead of following the Gospel of Christ. He warns them that they could be falling into the same trap as their ancestors.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 13:1-9
Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way
they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!
Or those eighteen people who were killed
when the tower at Siloam fell on them—
do you think they were more guilty
than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!”
And he told them this parable:
“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,
and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener,
‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree
but have found none.
So cut it down.
Why should it exhaust the soil?’
He said to him in reply,
‘Sir, leave it for this year also,
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;
it may bear fruit in the future.
If not you can cut it down.’”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 13:1-9
In the first section of this reading Jesus speaks about two incidents; a group of Galileans apparently killed by Pilate (possibly at the temple “…whose blood Pilate mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.”), and eighteen people accidentally killed when a tower under construction collapsed. These incidents related to Jesus gave him the opportunity to call everyone to repentance, since like those who had died (who he tells us were not singled out because of their sins), we do not know when the end will come.
He continues his lesion with the Parable of the Fig Tree. This particular story would seem to indicate that the coming of the Christ (“…I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it”) God has given them (us) time to repent, and through him find salvation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homily:
A very important question that many of us have asked is answered by Jesus in the Gospel from St. Luke. Who among us has not asked either in prayer or in anger; why do bad things happen to good people? Have we not looked at God accusingly and asked Him why a loved one suffered some tragedy or why a natural disaster like the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile took so many innocent lives? Why did God make those things happen?
The Lord’s answer – he didn’t! He did not cause a person to get sick or the earth’s crust to slip causing earthquakes and tsunamis. He created each of us and all that we have and can see. He gave us all good things to use and gave us dominion over the earth and its resources. Like our human bodies, all that he made has a cycle of life and death even to the stars that light the way to his infinite creation.
The Lord tells us clearly the God did not punish those who perished at the hand of Pilate (“…whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices”) or those who had been killed when a building collapsed (“…when the tower at Siloam fell on them”). No, it was not because they had sinned and thus been singled out for punishment for those sins. God did not seek vengeance nor even justice in this way. What Jesus says next makes clear what God expects. He expects us to be responsible for the things we have control over. He expects us to align our thoughts and actions in accordance with his wishes – the commandments he gave us.
If we do not, if we continue to ignore the warnings, procrastinating our repentance we risk spiritual death; we forfeit everlasting life. The parable of the fig tree with which the Lord followed his statement to the crowd, gives us some insights. He tells the story about how a land owner wanted to cut down an unproductive fruit tree.
We must assume the story is an allegory and that the unproductive fig tree is the un-repentant person who does not bear fruit for God’s Kingdom. The Land-owner must be God who has expectations that, what he has planted will bear fruit. Who, then, do we suppose the gardener might be? Could it be the same gardener encountered by Mary Magdalene the morning following Jesus’ crucifixion? Who but Jesus could save the un-repentant sinner from death? So the cast is now complete. We have God ready to destroy the tree, the un-repentant tree, which would be shaking in its boots if it had boots, and Jesus saying lets give it another chance.
That story is pointed straight at us. We are told that we have been given more chances to hear the words spoken when we received the ashes on Ash Wednesday – “Turn away from Sin and be faithful to the Gospel” or “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” In either case we are given another chance to find the right path; to become productive members of God’s earthly kingdom.
As we reach the half-way point in our journey this Lenten season we are asked once more to look at our behaviors and to turn away from the things that keep us from producing the results God seeks from us. He asks two things only. He asks us to love him and to love our neighbors. If we do this then we will bear great fruit. It is so simple to say, love God and love our neighbor; but our natural selves try to get in the way. It is these impulses we must control and turn to the good that the Lord expects.
The Lord reminds once again today how much he loves us. He stands as that wondrous gardener who seeks to tend us so we can grow and become fruitful. We are asked to turn away from the things that lead us in wrong directions and are cautioned that there will come a time when it is too late. We pray today that we do not delay in making the changes we know need to be made and so come before him have achieved his mercy and salvation.
Pax
[1] ALTRE (C)
[2] The picture is “Parable of the Fig Tree” by Gérard Jollain, published 1670
[3] ALTRE (A)
[4] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Readings for the Third Sunday of Lent (C Cycle)[1][2]
Readings for the Third Sunday of Lent (A Cycle)[3]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible (C and A Cycles)
Readings and Commentary:[4]
Today in the Church the Elect who are participating in the Right of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) will be presented with the Creed. Because of this the Cycle A readings may be used. An A Cycle post is provided here for those who wish to use those readings.
Reading I: Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15
Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro,
the priest of Midian.
Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb,
the mountain of God.
There an angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in fire
flaming out of a bush.
As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush,
though on fire, was not consumed.
So Moses decided,
“I must go over to look at this remarkable sight,
and see why the bush is not burned.”
When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely,
God called out to him from the bush, Moses! Moses!”
He answered, “Here I am.”
God said, “Come no nearer!
Remove the sandals from your feet,
for the place where you stand is holy ground.
I am the God of your fathers, “ he continued,
“the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.”
Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
But the LORD said,
“I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt
and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers,
so I know well what they are suffering.
Therefore I have come down to rescue them
from the hands of the Egyptians
and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land,
a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Moses said to God, “But when I go to the Israelites
and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’
if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?”
God replied, “I am who am.”
Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites:
I AM sent me to you.”
God spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,
has sent me to you.
“This is my name forever;
thus am I to be remembered through all generations.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15
The passage from Exodus is the story of God’s call of Moses from the burning bush. The Lord indicates that he has “come down” indicating that He will intervene in the plight of the Israelites.
There is concern from Moses that he must be able to tell the Israelites the name of God in whose name he comes. The Lord names himself “I am who am.” Giving no name that can be used to have dominion over him as ancient Samarian tradition suggests (see Genesis – man names the animals as a sign that he has been given dominion over them). This is the origin of the term “Yahweh” used to name God in some English translations. It is transliterated Hebrew shortened from “Yahweh asher yahweh” or “He causes to be what comes into existence”. As an interesting side note, the use of the term “Jehovah” was a misreading of the Hebrew pointed text.
He goes further, instructing Moses to tell those in bondage in Egypt that he is the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. This identification was cited by early Christians as proof of the resurrection, since the patriarchs live on in God who is the God of the living.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11
R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills,
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
The LORD secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11
Psalm 103 praises God for this compassion and forgiveness. It recalls Moses’ mission and the salvation brought through it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
that our ancestors were all under the cloud
and all passed through the sea,
and all of them were baptized into Moses
in the cloud and in the sea.
All ate the same spiritual food,
and all drank the same spiritual drink,
for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them,
and the rock was the Christ.
Yet God was not pleased with most of them,
for they were struck down in the desert.
These things happened as examples for us,
so that we might not desire evil things, as they did.
Do not grumble as some of them did,
and suffered death by the destroyer.
These things happened to them as an example,
and they have been written down as a warning to us,
upon whom the end of the ages has come.
Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure
should take care not to fall.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12
St. Paul begins here linking Christian baptism to one of its ancient symbols, Moses leading the Hebrews through the parted waters of the sea. He goes on to link the Eucharist to God feeding the (the Hebrews) in the wilderness with manna, alluding also to water flowing from the rock at Horeb (Exodus 17:6ff). Yet because they rejected God’s commandments and sought instead material goods most of those who rejected God were struck down.
The evangelist concludes this selection speaking especially to the Jewish converts who point to their heritage as justification for salvation instead of following the Gospel of Christ. He warns them that they could be falling into the same trap as their ancestors.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 13:1-9
Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way
they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!
Or those eighteen people who were killed
when the tower at Siloam fell on them—
do you think they were more guilty
than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!”
And he told them this parable:
“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,
and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener,
‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree
but have found none.
So cut it down.
Why should it exhaust the soil?’
He said to him in reply,
‘Sir, leave it for this year also,
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;
it may bear fruit in the future.
If not you can cut it down.’”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 13:1-9
In the first section of this reading Jesus speaks about two incidents; a group of Galileans apparently killed by Pilate (possibly at the temple “…whose blood Pilate mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.”), and eighteen people accidentally killed when a tower under construction collapsed. These incidents related to Jesus gave him the opportunity to call everyone to repentance, since like those who had died (who he tells us were not singled out because of their sins), we do not know when the end will come.
He continues his lesion with the Parable of the Fig Tree. This particular story would seem to indicate that the coming of the Christ (“…I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it”) God has given them (us) time to repent, and through him find salvation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homily:
A very important question that many of us have asked is answered by Jesus in the Gospel from St. Luke. Who among us has not asked either in prayer or in anger; why do bad things happen to good people? Have we not looked at God accusingly and asked Him why a loved one suffered some tragedy or why a natural disaster like the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile took so many innocent lives? Why did God make those things happen?
The Lord’s answer – he didn’t! He did not cause a person to get sick or the earth’s crust to slip causing earthquakes and tsunamis. He created each of us and all that we have and can see. He gave us all good things to use and gave us dominion over the earth and its resources. Like our human bodies, all that he made has a cycle of life and death even to the stars that light the way to his infinite creation.
The Lord tells us clearly the God did not punish those who perished at the hand of Pilate (“…whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices”) or those who had been killed when a building collapsed (“…when the tower at Siloam fell on them”). No, it was not because they had sinned and thus been singled out for punishment for those sins. God did not seek vengeance nor even justice in this way. What Jesus says next makes clear what God expects. He expects us to be responsible for the things we have control over. He expects us to align our thoughts and actions in accordance with his wishes – the commandments he gave us.
If we do not, if we continue to ignore the warnings, procrastinating our repentance we risk spiritual death; we forfeit everlasting life. The parable of the fig tree with which the Lord followed his statement to the crowd, gives us some insights. He tells the story about how a land owner wanted to cut down an unproductive fruit tree.
We must assume the story is an allegory and that the unproductive fig tree is the un-repentant person who does not bear fruit for God’s Kingdom. The Land-owner must be God who has expectations that, what he has planted will bear fruit. Who, then, do we suppose the gardener might be? Could it be the same gardener encountered by Mary Magdalene the morning following Jesus’ crucifixion? Who but Jesus could save the un-repentant sinner from death? So the cast is now complete. We have God ready to destroy the tree, the un-repentant tree, which would be shaking in its boots if it had boots, and Jesus saying lets give it another chance.
That story is pointed straight at us. We are told that we have been given more chances to hear the words spoken when we received the ashes on Ash Wednesday – “Turn away from Sin and be faithful to the Gospel” or “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” In either case we are given another chance to find the right path; to become productive members of God’s earthly kingdom.
As we reach the half-way point in our journey this Lenten season we are asked once more to look at our behaviors and to turn away from the things that keep us from producing the results God seeks from us. He asks two things only. He asks us to love him and to love our neighbors. If we do this then we will bear great fruit. It is so simple to say, love God and love our neighbor; but our natural selves try to get in the way. It is these impulses we must control and turn to the good that the Lord expects.
The Lord reminds once again today how much he loves us. He stands as that wondrous gardener who seeks to tend us so we can grow and become fruitful. We are asked to turn away from the things that lead us in wrong directions and are cautioned that there will come a time when it is too late. We pray today that we do not delay in making the changes we know need to be made and so come before him have achieved his mercy and salvation.
Pax
[1] ALTRE (C)
[2] The picture is “Parable of the Fig Tree” by Gérard Jollain, published 1670
[3] ALTRE (A)
[4] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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