Commentary on the Readings for Sunday – March 7, 2010
The Third Sunday in Lent
Lent is a time to reassess our relationship with God in Jesus Christ. It is not a time for self-inflicted penance for the sake of self-punishment. That went out with the ‘dark ages.’ Our God is a God of love and forgiveness, however, all good things have their limit or boundaries. Lent gives us a time to step back to see where are we going in our relationship and if we are in need of some correction to our course. The one thing we are all guilty of at one time or another is complacency – the belief that we are ‘doing okay.’ Our God wants more from us than what we might think is ‘good enough.’
The First Reading is from the Book of Exodus (3:1 – 15). This is one of the most profound stories in the Old Testament. It is Moses’ first encounter with God where God reveals Himself to Moses and calls him to a special mission. At the same time God explains that He has heard the cries of the Israelites now in slavery and He intends to free them through Moses’ leadership. Moses was not in good standing at this time with either the Egyptians or his own people, the Israelites, and so he asks for a sign to give as proof. God gives him His name, “Yahweh – I AM who AM, or as we might say today, “I AM all that Is!” In that time and culture, giving ones name to a stranger or anyone outside of your immediate circle of acquaintances, was the same as giving the stranger some authority to represent you. And yet we know that after all of this; their release from slavery and feeding them and caring for them in the desert, the Israelites still rebelled against God and sinned because they became complacent, but God had His limits.
The Responsorial Psalm is (103:1 – 11). In this prayer, the psalmist is praising God for His divine goodness and benevolence and enumerates many of these qualities, but ends with a veiled warning, “His kindness is toward those who fear Him.” Warning: Don’t take God for granted.
The Second Reading is taken from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians (10:1 – 12). In this passage, Paul gives us the reasons why God was not pleased with the Israelites in the first Reading and he goes on to say, “These things have been written down as a warding to us” and further, “…whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.”
The Gospel Reading is from the Gospel of St. Luke (13:1 – 9). The people of Jesus’ time often thought, wrongly, that misfortunes of any kind, such as accidents or ill health were signs of sinfulness in the unfortunate person or persons. Jesus points out that this was not the case, those who are not careful about their relationship with God are in greater danger. He gives and example of a fig tree that is in full foliage with all the appearance of being healthy, but it does not bear fruit. The owner orders it to be cut down for not fulfilling its intended purpose. However, the gardener asks for more time to work with it hoping that it will respond.
Lent is like that ‘more time’ for us to respond to God’s call to fulfill our intended purpose. So the question to ponder over is: Are you taking time to be with God in prayer during this Lenten Season, or are you just ‘doing okay’ as is? Something to think about during your Prayer Time!
- MFB
Sunday Commentary
Commentary on the Readings for Sunday – March 7, 2010
The Third Sunday in Lent
Lent is a time to reassess our relationship with God in Jesus Christ. It is not a time for self-inflicted penance for the sake of self-punishment. That went out with the ‘dark ages.’ Our God is a God of love and forgiveness, however, all good things have their limit or boundaries. Lent gives us a time to step back to see where are we going in our relationship and if we are in need of some correction to our course. The one thing we are all guilty of at one time or another is complacency – the belief that we are ‘doing okay.’ Our God wants more from us than what we might think is ‘good enough.’
The First Reading is from the Book of Exodus (3:1 – 15). This is one of the most profound stories in the Old Testament. It is Moses’ first encounter with God where God reveals Himself to Moses and calls him to a special mission. At the same time God explains that He has heard the cries of the Israelites now in slavery and He intends to free them through Moses’ leadership. Moses was not in good standing at this time with either the Egyptians or his own people, the Israelites, and so he asks for a sign to give as proof. God gives him His name, “Yahweh – I AM who AM, or as we might say today, “I AM all that Is!” In that time and culture, giving ones name to a stranger or anyone outside of your immediate circle of acquaintances, was the same as giving the stranger some authority to represent you. And yet we know that after all of this; their release from slavery and feeding them and caring for them in the desert, the Israelites still rebelled against God and sinned because they became complacent, but God had His limits.
The Responsorial Psalm is (103:1 – 11). In this prayer, the psalmist is praising God for His divine goodness and benevolence and enumerates many of these qualities, but ends with a veiled warning, “His kindness is toward those who fear Him.” Warning: Don’t take God for granted.
The Second Reading is taken from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians (10:1 – 12). In this passage, Paul gives us the reasons why God was not pleased with the Israelites in the first Reading and he goes on to say, “These things have been written down as a warding to us” and further, “…whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.”
The Gospel Reading is from the Gospel of St. Luke (13:1 – 9). The people of Jesus’ time often thought, wrongly, that misfortunes of any kind, such as accidents or ill health were signs of sinfulness in the unfortunate person or persons. Jesus points out that this was not the case, those who are not careful about their relationship with God are in greater danger. He gives and example of a fig tree that is in full foliage with all the appearance of being healthy, but it does not bear fruit. The owner orders it to be cut down for not fulfilling its intended purpose. However, the gardener asks for more time to work with it hoping that it will respond.
Lent is like that ‘more time’ for us to respond to God’s call to fulfill our intended purpose. So the question to ponder over is: Are you taking time to be with God in prayer during this Lenten Season, or are you just ‘doing okay’ as is? Something to think about during your Prayer Time!
- MFB