Third Sunday of Lent (Year C)

Exodus 3:1-8 & 13-15; Psalm 102;

1 Corinthians 10:1-6 & 10-12; Luke 13:1-9

Today we reflect on the need for growth in the Christian life. Jesus encourages us to recognise the need for repentance and growth.

Notes on the Readings

The First Reading

The Lord reveals himself to Moses in the form of a burning bush. Moses has been chosen to present the Lord’s promise to the Israelites.

The Responsorial Psalm

The Lord is compassion and love, and through the outpouring of that love, helps us to grow in faith.

The Second Reading

Paul advises the Corinthians to learn from the mistakes of their ancestors in faith. They are to keep to the path chosen by God and to be always wary of the dangers of the world.

The Gospel

Jesus tells the people that they must repent in order to grow and develop as Christians. The lives of his followers should, like the fig tree, always bear fruit.

Reflection

Meeting with God is a call to free­dom, to a journey, to be changed and to bear fruit. Most of us have met at least one other per­son who altered everything. But even people who have known and loved each other for a lifetime can still find each other mysterious.

Moses' meeting with God changed the direction of his life, making him into a leader who would bring his people on a jour­ney into freedom. Meeting with God is always a call to freedom, a call to go on a journey - and journeys change people. Paul compares Moses' journey with the journey of every Christian: our fathers... all passed through the sea ... all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink, since they all drank from the spiritual rock that followed them as they went, and that rock was Christ. And the call to freedom is also a call to repent, to be changed: it was written down to be a lesson for us who are living at the end o f the age. The person who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall.

In today's Gospel Jesus reminds us that none of us is safe. Accidents happen, and not always to wicked people: ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans?’

When we hear of plane crashes and sui­cide bombings they remind us that life is frail. But the important issue is not whether we are safe from accident or murder. The sad truth is that we are not. The important question is whether we are right with God: unless you repent you will all perish as they did.

The good news is that we have time to get it right: `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.'

The Sacrament of Reconciliation offers us a meeting with God that is a call to freedom, a call to go on a journey, a call to repent - to be changed and to bear fruit - not just to ask whether we have behaved badly but to ask what fruit there is in our lives. Once we have asked that question as individuals we can go on to engage with renewing the Church so that it can be `fit for purpose' to bear fruit by bringing those outside to the Supper of the Lord, and to working for peace and justice in our world.

Third Sunday of Lent (Year C)

Exodus 3:1-8 & 13-15; Psalm 102;

1 Corinthians 10:1-6 & 10-12; Luke 13:1-9

Today we reflect on the need for growth in the Christian life. Jesus encourages us to recognise the need for repentance and growth.

Notes on the Readings

The First Reading

The Lord reveals himself to Moses in the form of a burning bush. Moses has been chosen to present the Lord’s promise to the Israelites.

The Responsorial Psalm

The Lord is compassion and love, and through the outpouring of that love, helps us to grow in faith.

The Second Reading

Paul advises the Corinthians to learn from the mistakes of their ancestors in faith. They are to keep to the path chosen by God and to be always wary of the dangers of the world.

The Gospel

Jesus tells the people that they must repent in order to grow and develop as Christians. The lives of his followers should, like the fig tree, always bear fruit.

Reflection

Meeting with God is a call to free­dom, to a journey, to be changed and to bear fruit. Most of us have met at least one other per­son who altered everything. But even people who have known and loved each other for a lifetime can still find each other mysterious.

Moses' meeting with God changed the direction of his life, making him into a leader who would bring his people on a jour­ney into freedom. Meeting with God is always a call to freedom, a call to go on a journey - and journeys change people. Paul compares Moses' journey with the journey of every Christian: our fathers... all passed through the sea ... all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink, since they all drank from the spiritual rock that followed them as they went, and that rock was Christ. And the call to freedom is also a call to repent, to be changed: it was written down to be a lesson for us who are living at the end o f the age. The person who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall.

In today's Gospel Jesus reminds us that none of us is safe. Accidents happen, and not always to wicked people: ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans?’

When we hear of plane crashes and sui­cide bombings they remind us that life is frail. But the important issue is not whether we are safe from accident or murder. The sad truth is that we are not. The important question is whether we are right with God: unless you repent you will all perish as they did.

The good news is that we have time to get it right: `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.'

The Sacrament of Reconciliation offers us a meeting with God that is a call to freedom, a call to go on a journey, a call to repent - to be changed and to bear fruit - not just to ask whether we have behaved badly but to ask what fruit there is in our lives. Once we have asked that question as individuals we can go on to engage with renewing the Church so that it can be `fit for purpose' to bear fruit by bringing those outside to the Supper of the Lord, and to working for peace and justice in our world.