Third Sunday of Lent
Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15 | 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12 | Lk 13:1-9
In today’s readings, there are two terrible tragedies: the Romans kill Galileans at a religious festival on the Temple grounds, and then a tower wall collapses crushing 18 people to death in Siloam. Miles away from Jerusalem, however, the crowd with Jesus feels safe from such disasters.
Nevertheless, Jesus warns the people of the arduous death awaiting them, if they die without God. Many of them have excluded the poor, been blind to the suffering of others, and are lost in a self-centered quest for illusory happiness devoid of inner peace.
Real peace flows from the unconditional love of Christ for the poor, marginalized and sinners. Despite our rationalizations to the contrary, we are all sinners in need of Christ’s peace.
Our faith in Jesus calls us to a new way of being. A new mindset, a transformed way of thinking, speaking and acting toward others. By quieting the anxious thoughts of our inner voice, we move beyond ourselves to more meaningful connections with humanity and creation. We can move past socio-psychological barriers to encounter the fringe, the others living among us, like the homeless, abandoned single mothers, impoverished families, immigrants and unwanted elderly.
Christians make the love of God radiate outward to the forgotten, neglected and unloved in our communities. Like the burning sign of God’s presence to Moses in the desert, the compassion of Christ changes lives. Not only by upholding the dignity of others, but for us who intentionally reach out to those in need.
Ignite the love within yourself to minister to others this Lent. Believe your intuition. Through compassionate service to those who are poor and isolated, you can resonate the loving Spirit of Christ, the grace of God that gives life to the desolate.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus tells the parable of a barren fig tree. The fig tree represents the Jerusalem Temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. On a larger scale, this parable symbolizes the spiritual barrenness of our fallen humanity. Like our overwhelmingly anxious lives, this tree no longer bears fruit. Jesus, the gardener, however, asks God, the owner of the orchard, for additional time to cultivate life-giving figs from the parched tree. Jesus will provide essential nutrients to the tree´s roots. The living water of Christ revives the tree of life.
This parable calls us to reflect on our lives. We have the chance to change this Lent. Even if Christ feels distant and our spiritual lives appear dry. We might ask where is God in the daily struggles of our lives?
We can look to Christ, who calls us to a mature purpose-driven life. The Spirit of Christ offers fullness of life and the ultimate grace to die with dignity. Redemption from our old self transforms us. By faith, we gradually walk the path to salvation. Fidelity to God and neighbor, with compassion for the struggling poor, reveals Christ in the world.
Jesus rescues us from the spiritual void of our post-human age. Although churches are fading into diocesan mergers, the spirit of renewal in Christ is undying. Spiritual peace prevails over insatiable desires, preventing the spiral into compulsive sins. When our true self is reborn in Christ, the will of God becomes our will, fortifies our innate goodness. By faith, Christ overcomes self-destructive behaviors and habits.
Humility acknowledges the transformative power of the Spirit. Egotistical hubris, however, disregards history, natural law and commonsense belief in something greater than ourselves. The proud propose a theory of everything that leaves no room for the spirituality that completes human existence. Moreover, the inherent limitations of human cognition and perception prevent us from encompassing all things, including God.
Lent is our time to grow spiritually. The grace of God is calling us. The Spirit of Christ is reaching out to us. Receive God´s love by healing others spiritually, emotionally and with basic needs. Accompany the poor, as Jesus did. Through Christ we help tend to the tree of life.
Blessings on your Lenten journey this year.
Maryknoll Father Gregory McPhee, who was ordained in 2020, serves in pastoral ministry for Indigenous communities in Bolivia. Prior to beginning his seminary and joining the mission society, he earned a degree in law and practiced as a criminal defense lawyer in Syracus, New York.
The 2025 Lenten Reflection Guide from the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns contains contributions from missioners around the world.
Featured image: A fig tree bears fruit, unlike the barren fig tree of Jesus’ parable included in the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Lent. (Jametlene Reskp via Unsplash)
Questions for Reflection
As you pray, reflecting on the needs of the poor, sick, or lonely, the immigrant or the abandoned, how might God nurture and strengthen you to bear fruit to share?
What is one thing you can do in your own life this season, with God’s help, to tend to the tree of life?
PRAYER
A Four-fold Benedictine Blessing
May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.
May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.
May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.
And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator, Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide, be with you and remain with you, this day and forevermore. AMEN.
—Sister Ruth Marlene Fox, OSB
