[Salvation]

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

[Salvation]

If you are in RCIA, you will hear these readings

 

March 3, 2013

Third Sunday of Lent – Year A Scrutinies

 

Reading 1 Ex 17:3-7

In those days, in their thirst for water,
the people grumbled against Moses,
saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?
Was it just to have us die here of thirst
with our children and our livestock?”
So Moses cried out to the LORD,
“What shall I do with this people?
a little more and they will stone me!”
The LORD answered Moses,
“Go over there in front of the people,
along with some of the elders of Israel,
holding in your hand, as you go,
the staff with which you struck the river.
I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it
for the people to drink.”
This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
The place was called Massah and Meribah,
because the Israelites quarreled there
and tested the LORD, saying,
“Is the LORD in our midst or not?”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

reading 2 Rom 5:1-2, 5-8

Brothers and sisters:
Since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.

And hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Gospel Jn 4:5-42

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her,
“Go call your husband and come back.”
The woman answered and said to him,
“I do not have a husband.”
Jesus answered her,
“You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’
For you have had five husbands,
and the one you have now is not your husband.
What you have said is true.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one speaking with you.”

At that moment his disciples returned,
and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,
but still no one said, “What are you looking for?”
or “Why are you talking with her?”
The woman left her water jar
and went into the town and said to the people,
“Come see a man who told me everything I have done.
Could he possibly be the Christ?”
They went out of the town and came to him.
Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”
But he said to them,
“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
So the disciples said to one another,
“Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me
and to finish his work.
Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The reaper is already receiving payment
and gathering crops for eternal life,
so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;
others have done the work,
and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him
because of the word of the woman who testified,
“He told me everything I have done.”
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

or Jn 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.

“I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him.
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

[Salvation]

A Prayer for our Free Nation Under God
God Save Our Country web site (prayer warriors)
Prayer Chain Request for the United States of America
Pray for Nancy Pelosi
Prayer and fasting will help defeat health care reform (Freeper Prayer Thread)
Prayer Campaign Started to Convert Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians to Pro-Life
[Catholic Caucus] One Million Rosaries
Non-stop Rosary vigil to defeat ObamaCare

From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:

"Pray for Obama.  Psalm 109:8"

   

PLEASE JOIN US -

Evening Prayer
Someone has said that if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.
Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?  

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.    Please forward this to your praying friends.

[annalex]

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 13
1.	AND there were present, at that very time, some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.	Aderant autem quidam ipso in tempore, nuntiantes illi de Galilæis, quorum sanguinem Pilatus miscuit cum sacrificiis eorum.	παρησαν δε τινες εν αυτω τω καιρω απαγγελλοντες αυτω περι των γαλιλαιων ων το αιμα πιλατος εμιξεν μετα των θυσιων αυτων
2.	And he answering, said to them: Think you that these Galileans were sinners above all the men of Galilee, because they suffered such things?	Et respondens dixit illis : Putatis quod hi Galilæi præ omnibus Galilæis peccatores fuerint, quia talia passi sunt ?	και αποκριθεις ο ιησους ειπεν αυτοις δοκειτε οτι οι γαλιλαιοι ουτοι αμαρτωλοι παρα παντας τους γαλιλαιους εγενοντο οτι τοιαυτα πεπονθασιν
3.	No, I say to you: but unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish.	Non, dico vobis : sed nisi pœnitentiam habueritis, omnes similiter peribitis.	ουχι λεγω υμιν αλλ εαν μη μετανοητε παντες ωσαυτως απολεισθε
4.	Or those eighteen upon whom the tower fell in Siloe, and slew them: think you, that they also were debtors above all the men that dwelt in Jerusalem?	Sicut illi decem et octo, supra quos cecidit turris in Siloë, et occidit eos : putatis quia et ipsi debitores fuerint præter omnes homines habitantes in Jerusalem ?	η εκεινοι οι δεκα και οκτω εφ ους επεσεν ο πυργος εν τω σιλωαμ και απεκτεινεν αυτους δοκειτε οτι ουτοι οφειλεται εγενοντο παρα παντας ανθρωπους τους κατοικουντας εν ιερουσαλημ
5.	No, I say to you; but except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish.	Non, dico vobis : sed si pœnitentiam non egeritis, omnes similiter peribitis.	ουχι λεγω υμιν αλλ εαν μη μετανοητε παντες ομοιως απολεισθε
6.	He spoke also this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none.	Dicebat autem et hanc similitudinem : Arborem fici habebat quidam plantatam in vinea sua, et venit quærens fructum in illa, et non invenit.	ελεγεν δε ταυτην την παραβολην συκην ειχεν τις εν τω αμπελωνι αυτου πεφυτευμενην και ηλθεν ζητων καρπον εν αυτη και ουχ ευρεν
7.	And he said to the dresser of the vineyard: Behold, for these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it done therefore: why cumbereth it the ground?	Dixit autem ad cultorem vineæ : Ecce anni tres sunt ex quo venio quærens fructum in ficulnea hac, et non invenio : succide ergo illam : ut quid etiam terram occupat ?	ειπεν δε προς τον αμπελουργον ιδου τρια ετη ερχομαι ζητων καρπον εν τη συκη ταυτη και ουχ ευρισκω εκκοψον αυτην ινα τι και την γην καταργει
8.	But he answering, said to him: Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig about it, and dung it.	At ille respondens, dicit illi : Domine dimitte illam et hoc anno, usque dum fodiam circa illam, et mittam stercora,	ο δε αποκριθεις λεγει αυτω κυριε αφες αυτην και τουτο το ετος εως οτου σκαψω περι αυτην και βαλω κοπρια
9.	And if happily it bear fruit: but if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.	et siquidem fecerit fructum : sin autem, in futurum succides eam.	καν μεν ποιηση καρπον ει δε μηγε εις το μελλον εκκοψεις αυτην

[Salvation]

 

Catholic

Almanac:

Sunday, March 3
Liturgical Color: Violet
Today is the optional memorial of St. Katherine Drexel, virgin. In 1891, she founded an order ministering to poor Native and African Americans. She funded her work with her inheritance; as a child her parents taught her that wealth was to be shared.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: March 03, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness, who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving have shown us a remedy for sin, look graciously on this confession of our lowliness, that we, who are bowed down by our conscience, may always be lifted up by your mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

• Spring, Fall or Winter Sunday Dinner Menu

ACTIVITIES

• Explaining the Mass and Sacraments

PRAYERS

• Prayer for the Third Week of Lent
• Lent Table Blessing 3

LIBRARY

• I Will Arise and Return to My Father | Pope John Paul II

Lent: March 3rd

Third Sunday of Lent

Old Calendar: Third Sunday of Lent

"Sir," the man replied "leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down." (Lk. 13:9) "In the Christian life, faith has consequences, that to 'serve God' we must renounce 'Mammon,' that to be free for God we must break the hold that the world has on us. Faith demands a reconstruction of the inner life, a reforming that can be brought about only by overcoming.

—The Conversion of Augustine, Romano Guardini

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Stational Church

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Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the book of Exodus, 3:1-8, 13-15. The story of the salvation of God's people continues during this Lenten season. Today we hear of Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush.

The second reading is from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians, 10:1-6, 10-12. St. Paul establishes a parallel between the situation of the Israelites in the desert and the Corinthians. "Paul wants to remind us that we are not saved merely because we happen to have been the recipients of God's free grace. We have to demonstrate that we are willing recipients of that free gift. The children of Israel received it, but they proved to be unworthy of it, and so they were not saved." (Origin (ca. A.D. 240, Commentary on First Corinthians 4, 45, 205)

The Gospel is from St. Luke, 13:1-9. Our Lord stresses that we need to produce plenty of fruit (cf. Lk 8:11-15) in keeping with the graces we have received (cf. Lk 12:48). But he also tells us that God waits patiently for this fruit to appear; he does not want the death of the sinner; he wants him to be converted and to live (Ezek 33:11) and, as St Peter teaches, he is "forebearing towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Pet 3:9). But God's clemency should not lead us to neglect our duties and become lazy and comfort-seeking, living sterile lives. He is merciful, but he is also just and he will punish failure to respond to his grace.

"There is one case that we should be especially sorry about — that of Christians who could do more and don't; Christians who could live all the consequences of their vocation as children of God, but refuse to do so through lack of generosity. We are partly to blame, for the grace of faith has not been given us to hide but to share with others (cf. Mt 5:151). We cannot forget that the happiness of these people, in this life and in the next, is at stake. The Christian life is a divine wonder with immediate promises of satisfaction and serenity — but on condition that we know how to recognize the gift of God (cf. Jn 4:10) and be generous, not counting the cost" (J. Escriva, Christ is passing by, 147). — The Navarre Bible - St. Luke

Things to Do:

• Truly observe this Sunday in Lent with your family — Make it relaxing as befits the Lord's Day. Remember that the Sundays of Lent are not counted in the total forty days of this holy season, so you are not expected to continue your penances and fasting on this day. Reread the Gospel together and discuss it as a family, play games, cook a nice meal. We especially recommend the Late Spring Special Menu, with chicken stew and dumplings as the main dish, or the Spring, Fall, or Winter Sunday Dinner Menu, with the "best-ever meat loaf!"

• Read this document by our Holy Father, On Keeping the Lord's Day Holy.

• Begin to pray the Prayer for the Third Week of Lent with your family.

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The Station is in the basilica of St. Lawrence outside the walls. The name of this, the most celebrated of the martyrs of Rome, would remind the catechumens that the faith they were about to profess would require them to be ready for many sacrifices. In the primitive Church, the third Sunday in Lent was called Scrutiny Sunday, because it was on this day that they began to examine the catechumens, who were to be admitted to Baptism on Easter night.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 13:1-9

3rd Sunday of Lent

I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it. (Luke 13:8)

The parable of the fig tree tells us that God is constantly at work pruning and watering and fertilizing us so that we can produce fruit. So often during Lent, we focus on our need to repent. While this is a good thing to think about, we also need to remember that our God is a God of consolation and love. He is always encouraging us. He never gives up on us. He never condemns or rejects us.

Jesus knows who we are. He knows everything about us. So it’s comforting to know that even with all of our weakness and failures, he will still work in us to make us more fruitful. In fact, his compassion is one of the most effective fertilizers around. It’s capable of feeding us and strengthening us. It has the power to lift us out of the pain and setbacks we can experience in our lives and encourage us to take the next step forward to a fruitful, peaceful life.

On one occasion, Jesus saw a large crowd, and his heart was moved with compassion for them because they were “troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). If you ever find yourself feeling this way, stand up and tell yourself that Jesus is with you. Believe that he knows your troubles and is showering you with his compassion and his love. You are not alone!

The Jesus who had compassion for this crowd is the same Jesus who walked out of the tomb on Easter Sunday. It’s the same Jesus we receive every time we take Communion. It’s the same Jesus who lives in your heart. It’s the same Jesus who lives in the hearts of your family members, your neighbors, your co-workers, even your enemies.

As you ponder these truths today, don’t just let his compassion encourage and console you. Let it melt your heart as well. Let it move you to share this compassion with everyone you meet.

“Jesus, I want to be more like you. Teach me how to cultivate your presence in the people around me.”

Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15; Psalm 103:1-4, 6-8, 11; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12

 

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

1. In the first reading, God comes down to Moses and recommits himself to his people for the purpose of “rescuing them.” In what ways has God, through Jesus Christ, “come down” and rescued you from the power of sin and the devil? What areas of your life still need God’s intervention?

2. The Responsorial Psalm tells us that God is “kind and merciful.” As Christians we are called to be imitators of Christ who “pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion” (Psalm 103:3-4). Since Christ has done this for you, what are some ways you can show “kindness and compassion” to others, and pardon their iniquities, especially those who have wronged you?

3. In the second reading, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians not to “grumble”, which for us can often be a cause of disunity and harm to others. What practical steps during Lent can you take, individually and corporately, to encourage and build up the faith of your families or your fellow parishioners?

4. In the Gospel reading, Jesus warns the people of the danger of assuming that the sufferings or misfortunes of others are caused by their sin. He also reminds them of their need to repent. Are you judgmental of the weaknesses of others, rather than looking at your weaknesses? Knowing that we are all sinners in need of God’s mercy, how can you reach out more to others who are suffering no matter what the cause?

5. Also in the Gospel reading, Jesus tells a parable on the importance he attaches to our lives’ bearing fruit. How would you describe the fruits you are bearing for Jesus? What additional fruits may Jesus be asking you to bear this Lent?

6. After describing the depth of Jesus’ compassion, the meditation ends with these words: “As you ponder these truths today, don’t just let his compassion encourage and console you. Let it melt your heart as well. Let it move you to share this compassion with everyone you meet.” What steps can you take to apply these words in a greater way to your life?

7. Take some time now to pray and ask Jesus for the grace to be transformed more and more into his likeness, so you can give to others the compassion and love the Lord has given you. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as a starting point.

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

THE PATIENCE OF GOD

(A biblical reflection on the 3^rd Sunday of Lent, Year C – March 3, 2013)

Gospel Reading: Luke 13:1-9

First Reading: Ex 3:1-8,13-15; Psalms: Ps 103:1-4,6-8,11; Second Reading: 1Cor 10:1-6,10-12

The Scripture Text

There were some present at that very time who told Him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And He answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus? I tell you, No: but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” 

And He told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Lo, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Let it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig it about it and put on manure. And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” (Lk 13:1-9) 

A number of Jesus’ stories are about gardening, farming, things growing. The people of an earlier age were nomadic flock-people. Flock-people can live off nature: their flocks graze and move on: nothing is put back into the land. They could think strongly of a God who provides. By the time of Jesus the people had settled down. And this had seen the change from the totally pastoral life to the development of horticulture and agriculture. They had learned to live more in co-operation with nature. And this demanded humility and patience. Jesus could see the patient approach of God mirrored in the fields and gardens before His eyes. A farmer plants seeds and waits. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing. He waits and wonders and hopes that all will go well. One farmer has a serious problem with weeds growing with the wheat. Lest the good roots be disturbed he waits until the proper time to harvest. Such is the patience of God. So it is that God makes His sun to shine and rain to fall on good and bad, honest and dishonest alike (Mt 5:45). The story of the fig tree that gets another chance, even after three years care, is a picture of the ministry of Jesus. “Think of the patience of Christ as your opportunity to be saved.” A false idea of perfection can trap one in unnecessary anxieties and fears.

There are people who are afraid to confess because they know that they are likely to fall again after confession. But who ever said that all faults would be healed instantly, that the weeds would we instantly rooted out from the wheat? The way of Jesus is patient growth.

Perfectionism makes it impossible for some people to forgive themselves. They seem to thing that they have to impress God with success and faultlessness before they deserve to be loved. But love surely is free: it does not have to be deserved or earned.

All must learn from the growing of things. Plants which sprout rapidly from seed to stalk last but a short life span. The seed of a hardwood tree can take up to two years to sprout above soil. But this slow grower will develop mightily and last for hundreds of years. Lasting growth is usually a slow and gradual process. The patience of God as picture in our gardens and fields is a saving thought.

Short Prayer: “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Ps 103:8). Praise the Lord! Amen.

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

ONE MORE CHANCE

 (A biblical reflection on the 3^rd Sunday of Lent, Year C – 3^rd of March 2013)

First Reading: Ex 3:1-8,13-15; Psalms: Ps 103:1-4,6-8,11; Second Reading: 1Cor 10:1-6,10-12; Gospel Reading: Luke 13:1-9  

Today’s Gospel gives us two other examples of disasters that occurred in Christ’s lifetime. One of the incidents was the ruthless murder of some Galileans while they were in the middle of their Temple sacrifices. The victims were probably political agitators and this was Pilate’s way of silencing them.

The other incident was a construction accident which happened near the Temple during the building of a water aquaduct. Apparently it was a project hated by the Jews because Temple funds were stolen by Pilate to finance it.

These two incidents are brought up because the Jews presumed that those who were killed were being punished by God for their sins. But Jesus denies this. Instead, He asserts that what really destroys life is our unwillingness to repent and change our lives.

Jesus says, not once, but twice by way of emphasis: “Unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.” The repetition of this teaching is followed by a parable about a fig tree.

Usually it takes a fig tree three years to mature and bear fruit. If it is not producing fruit by that time, it likely never will and so it can be cut down. But this fig tree had already been given twice the allotted number of years it takes to produce fruit, for the owner of the vineyard had allowed three more years to pass in fruitless expectation.

And yet, the owner will give the fig tree still one more chance. His vinedressers will do even more than is necessary to help by hoeing and maturing it. All this on the grounds of a perhaps or a maybe. 

This parable is a perennial one for us. Every Lent God gives us one more chance to produce more fruit in our lives. God is more than generous with the opportunities He gives us to reform our lives.

All of us have some areas that need changing: maybe we watch too much television, smoke too often or eat the wrong kind of food; perhaps we criticize too much, are too impatient or too demanding; maybe we waste too much time, neglect our work or avoid unpleasant tasks.

But if year after year our lives are fruitless in personal growth, sterile in prayer and empty of good works, then we are a barren fig tree. We can’t blame accidents or sickness or other people for our condition. We have to take responsibility for our own lives.

Even terminal cancer patients can cultivate the will to live productively with the time they have left. For example, before she died, Jory Graham wrote a newspaper column to encourage other victims of cancer. Even amputes can take on new challenges. For example, Ted Kennedy, Jr. relearned how to ski.

What destroys life in us then are not accidents or tragedies, but our unwillingness to accept difficulties and overcome them; to accept suffering and transform it. What makes our lives fruitless are not their circumstances or limitations, but our refusal to give it one more try and hoe our ground for one more year.

This Lent is a season of grace. It may be our last one as it was for the people who died since last Easter. Now is the time for us to reform our lives so that they will be more productive. Now is the time to make whatever changes are necessary so that our fig tree in the Lord’s vineyard will bear more fruit in personal growth, prayer and community service.

Note: Taken from Fr. Albert Cylwicki CSB, HIS WORD RESOUNDS, Makati, Philippines: ST. PAUL PUBLICATIONS, 1991, pages 220-221.