Third Sunday of Lent

Catechism Links [1]
 
CCC 210, 2575-2577: God calls Moses, hears prayers of his people
CCC 1963-1964: Observance of Law prepares for conversion
CCC 2851: Evil and its works as obstacle on way of salvation
CCC 128-130, 1094: Old Testament “types” fulfilled in New
CCC 736, 1108-1109, 1129, 1521, 1724, 1852, 2074, 2516, 2345, 2731: Bearing fruit

“The Barren Fig Tree”
by James Tissot, c. 1896-1900

Readings for the Third Sunday of Lent [2]
 
Third Sunday of Lent - Year A Scrutinies [3]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [4]
 
Readings and Commentary: [5]
 
Today in the Church the Elect who are participating in the Rite 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.”
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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. He has seen their trials and heard their prayer.  Through Moses, God's redemption will be fulfilled in the land he gives them, "a land flowing with milk and honey."
 
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 1:28, Genesis 2:20 ff – 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 German misreading of the Hebrew pointed text.
 
God 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 Jesus in Matthew 22:31-32 and by early Christians as proof of the resurrection, since the patriarchs live on in God who is the God of the living.
 
CCC: Ex 3:1-10 2575; Ex 3:5-6 208; Ex 3:5 2777; Ex 3:6 205, 207; Ex 3:7-10 1867; Ex 3:13-15 205; Ex 3:14 446, 2666, 2810
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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.
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Commentary on Ps 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11
 
Psalm 103 praises God for this compassion and forgiveness. Three of God’s blessings are enumerated: forgiveness, healing, and salvation. It recalls Moses’ mission and the salvation brought through it.
 
CCC: Ps 103 304
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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.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12
 
St. Paul links Christian baptism to one of its ancient symbols: Moses leading the Hebrews through the parted waters of the sea (cf. Exodus 14:15-31). He goes on to link the Eucharist to God feeding the Hebrews in the wilderness with manna naming it "spiritual food," alluding also to water flowing from the rock at Horeb (Exodus 17:6ff), calling it "spiritual drink."  Yet, because they rejected God’s commandments and sought material goods instead of spiritual sustenance, 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.
 
CCC: 1 Cor 10:1-11 129; 1 Cor 10:1-6 1094; 1 Cor 10:1-2 697; 1 Cor 10:2 117; 1 Cor 10:4 694; 1 Cor 10:6 128; 1 Cor 10:11 117, 128, 2175
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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.’”
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Commentary on Lk 13:1-9
 
In the story from St. Luke, there is once more a reminder that urgency is required in seeking repentance. The story begins with an explanation by the Lord that victims of Roman punishment ("whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices"), and victims of an accident ("those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them"), were not singled out by God for punishment. These statements are followed by the parable of the barren fig tree as a way of saying that God, at some point, will become impatient, and will call sinners to account for their actions.
 
The incidents recorded at the beginning of this reading (likely the accidental death of those on whom the tower fell) are found only in St. Luke’s Gospel. Based upon historical works of the time, the actions of Pilate were in keeping with his character. Jesus uses the event to call his audience to repentance.
 
“Following on the call to repentance, the parable of the barren fig tree presents a story about the continuing patience of God with those who have not yet given evidence of their repentance (see Luke 3:8). The parable may also be alluding to the delay of the end time, when punishment will be meted out, and the importance of preparing for the end of the age because the delay will not be permanent.” [6]
 
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Reflection:
 
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, storms, or other natural disasters 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 that 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 or 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, and procrastinate in 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 unrepentant person who does not bear fruit for God’s Kingdom. The landowner 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 unrepentant sinner from death? So the cast is now complete. We have God ready to destroy the tree, the unrepentant tree, which would be shaking in its boots if it had boots, and Jesus, saying let’s give the tree 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 human nature tries to get in the way. It is this impulse we must control and turn to the good that the Lord expects.
 
The Lord reminds us 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 having achieved his mercy and salvation.
 
Pax
 

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[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “The Barren Fig Tree” by James Tissot, c. 1896-1900.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio (A)
[4] S.S. Commemoratio (C)
[5] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[6] NAB footnote on Luke 13:6-9.