HOMILY FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR C

Today’s Gospel begins with current events in Jesus’ time, although you should know that the events described appear nowhere else but in Luke’s Gospel, so there is no way of knowing if they really happened.  This is not a problem, however, because it is the concept they are dealing with which is important. There are two incidents that are brought to Jesus’ attention, both political, the first one dealing with the ruler Pilate who brought about some tragic deaths of Jews. In the first case Pilate was said to have slaughtered some Galileans who were offering sacrifice in the Temple.The second tragedy was that eighteen people were killed when a tower collapsed on them at Siloam. These two events were brought to Jesus . Did they die because they were sinners.  Did their sinning bring about their tragedy?

In the Old Testament there are, in fact, many references to what happens to disobedient nations and people. In Deuteronomy we are told that if Israel disobeys God, they will be punished for it (28:15).  Throughout the Book of Job there is the thought that death and suffering are a result of sinning.  Even prophets like Ezekiel and some of the Proverbs say the same thing. This way of thinking was quite common in the Old Testament.

In a way this was a trick question for Jesus because it was also political as well as theological. If Jesus said nothing, he could be criticized for being insensitive to the suffering and death of the his people.  If he blamed Pilate, he could be arrested by the Roman authorities for criticizing the ruler.

What Jesus does do, however, is move the discussion away from politics and into the realm of theology.  He tells very clearly that the people who died were no more sinners than anyone else. God does not punish people in this way.  There is no link at all between sin and suffering and death.  He is very clear about that. BUT…. And there is always a “but”. “But”, Jesus says, “unless you repent, you will all perish as they did!”

How confusing a statement this. On the one hand, there is no relation between sin and suffering, and on the other, if you don’t repent of sinning, you will suffer. No, what Jesus was talking about in the second statement was the timing of things.  In the words “as they did” was referring to the unexpectedness of their deaths. In other words, Jesus is saying that you better repent soon because the timing of your death is unknown and could come at any moment. If some of those people had not repented when they were suddenly killed, it was because they had not listened to the cries of “Repent” that echoed through the Old Testament and in John the Baptist’s  and Jesus’ teaching. Jesus took that current event and drew a lesson from it, just as we could look at what happened in Haiti which was so tragic and have Jesus say to us – See how unexpectedly this earthquake came. Earlier that day they had no idea that they would die, that they would suffer so much. Be ready, then.  And this is what Lent is all about – getting ourselves ready.  Repenting.  Turning ourselves around so that we are ready for whatever comes, because it will come for all of us some day.

The second part of the reading is the first of many parables of Jesus used in Luke. It has nothing at all to do with the fig tree we talked about in Mark’s Gospel last year, by the way. This is essentially new material created by Luke. As we have discussed before, Jesus taught in parables because they have many layers of meaning – from the simple plot line and story level, to the many meanings that can be received from the story after we think about it for a bit.  This parable comes directly after this discussion of sin, suffering and repentance.

So let’s look more closely at this parable and see what is in it that might help our own Lenten journeys. What do we need to know about fig trees first of all. Well, we know that in that area they produced fruit about ten months out of the year. It was three years before they usually bore any fruit. There was a law in Leviticus that the fruit of the tree could not be eaten for three years after the first three of growth. In the seventh year, the fruit was considered all right, but should be offered to God. After that, the fruit could be picked at any time.

Now this story is about a landowner who probably lived in the city and hired a type of gardener to take care of his crops.  If he had waited the six years and come out to pick the fruit of the tree, it had to have been nine years that he was waiting for something from this tree, but still it had no fruit. I am not a patient man, but it would seem to me that the landowner was correct in saying that the tree should be pulled out because it really wasn’t going to do anything after nine years! But the gardener, a much more patient man, wants the owner to wait another year in hopes that with fresh soil and manure, it might actually blossom and bear fruit. If not, then it could be cut down.

If we presume that the owner of the vineyard is God, perhaps we can see the gardener as Jesus himself.  Each of us is a vine tree that must produce some fruit or be destroyed. Notice that God is seen as very patient, having given a very fair amount of time for the fruit to appear.  He is not cross in his judgment, but he does judge. But also he listens to the pleas of the gardener for more time. Perhaps we just need a richer soil or some ‘manure’ to happen to us to help us be fruitful.  In any case, God the owner, gives us that extra time. He is merciful and hopeful. But there will come a point when the tree will have to die. Will it die early or die after bearing much fruit? We don’t know. And we don’t know when.  This is a perfect reading for Lent because we, too, need the time to study the word of God which enriches us, perhaps to suffer a little to strengthen us, but always in the firm belief that God wants us to succeed and will give us the time that we need to turn ourselves around and bear fruit for others to the glory of God.

In the second reading we can also apply what Paul says to this parable.  God gives us gifts as he always has – manna and water in the desert for the Hebrews and the Eucharist for us. But just because we have God’s gifts, his grace, we need not be complacent. We still have to bear fruit. We still have to be vigilant.  We still have to turn ourselves around from sinning.

Similarly in the first reading, we hear that God knows well of Israel’s suffering, and his response is not to blame them for sinning, but to come down and rescue them from the Egyptians and lead them to a land flowing with milk and honey. When Moses asks his name and God says it is “I am who am”, he is not saying that he just exists but that he is  always and will be with his people always. Like the owner of the vineyard, he wants a fruitful crop, followers who will remain true to his name and carry out his will as did Moses.

Time passes slowly when you have no power over your destiny. Slavery was a cruel institution of the ancient world that left its victims bereft of any say over their lives. The Chosen People felt anything but “chosen” as those decades and centuries wore on. They were slaves and every day was like the other, filled with the monotonous routine of stacking bricks, one upon the other, while feeling the cruel lashes of their hardened masters. And it was through the suffering of these people that Pharaoh was able to rise to glory.

But God’s love came to the rescue of Israel. He chose a shepherd named Moses, who felt completely inadequate for the task, in order to liberate his people and to bring them to the Promised Land. God’s power intervened in an unprecedented way, breaking the vice-like grip of Pharaoh. His very name “I AM” symbolized his power-filled presence and omnipotence on behalf of Israel. However, as St. Paul points out, receiving such blessings implies a great responsibility. He recites a veritable litany of God’s blessings that should have been sufficient for the sanctification of Israel, yet many did not heed the spiritual message of repentance contained in the Lord’s redemptive intervention. “God was not pleased with them, for they were struck down in the desert.”

If this sounds familiar, it ought to be. The graces that we receive as Catholics are countless, and at the same time absolutely priceless. Baptism, Eucharist, and reconciliation are just a few of the signs of God’s insurmountable and unsurpassable love for each and everyone one of us. Nevertheless, despite all of the wondrous signs of God’s love present in this world, there is such massive mediocrity among many Catholics. Graces frequently die when they are given to one whose will is not engaged in the pursuit of God’s will.

In the Gospel, Jesus almost seems to be following the format of a newspaper article, recounting some disasters that had occurred in his time. What to make of them? Were the victims just sinners who got what they deserved? No, Jesus replied, but you should take careful note. In a sense, we are all living on borrowed time. We don’t know when our final end will occur or how it will happen. The master of the orchard has come to visit our fig tree…

Time is not a precious commodity. We don’t know how to value it, and we don’t know if we have a lot or a little. Yet that very fact should spur us on, and bring us to repent. God’s justice is seen in the fig tree’s owner who is looking to clear the ground of fruitless trees. His mercy is reflected in the gardener, who wants another year to try to salvage the situation with more water and fertilizer. Certainly God’s mercy is infinite, but our capacity to accept it is not, for we are limited, time-bound creatures … the clock is ticking and we will have to make choices.

Now that we are about halfway through Lent, many of those in Church today will need encouragement. Some of them will have started to waffle on their resolutions, while others may be ashamed that they never had any. The message from today’s readings is: “Take advantage of the graces you receive today!” We can renew our resolve; we can have a fresh start. Hearing the word of the Lord, let’s not put off our repentance for tomorrow!

So, in case you haven’t yet got the Lenten message of today I will state it as clearly as I can. Repent. Turn yourself around. Examine yourself.  You may still have time, but the clock is running out for all of us. Take the time now to react to the fertilizer of the Gospels and the food of the Eucharist, and bear as much fruit as you can to the glory of God and the love your neighbor. 

By Rt. Rev. Bishop Kasomo Daniel. PhD.D.Sc.

Bishop Kasomo Daniel is a Roman Catholic Bishop of the Society of St. Peter and Paul (SSPP).