LENTEN FISH FRY

Liturgical Minister Schedule

^{>updated 3/10/10}

Parish Registration Form

Alumni Online Donation

SCRIP Order Form

NEW!

Online Stewardship Intention Form

March 7th, 2010

My Brothers and Sisters,

 Today’s Gospel is probably the least familiar and the most difficult to understand Lenten Sunday Gospel in the three-year Lectionary cycle. In fact, both the events Jesus talked about and the parable he told are found only in Luke’s Gospel. Today, therefore, I would like to explore this two-part Gospel.

 In the first part of today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices and the eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them. He asked his listeners if they thought these people were greater sinners or more guilty than others. Jesus’ answer to his own question was they were not.

 On one level, Jesus was responding to the common belief or expectation that if we do good, only good things will happen in our lives.  If bad things happen in our lives, this is a sign that we are being punished for something we have done. In other words, the common belief was that God rewards the good and punishes the wicked in this life. In this passage, Jesus is refuting this belief.

 However, there is another way of looking at the first part of the Gospel.  At the end of this part of the Gospel, Jesus concludes, “But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did.” Jesus seems to be saying two things. First, the victims of Pilate and the collapsed tower were not necessarily any worse than other people. At the same time, Jesus is also reminding his listeners and us that we are not necessarily any better than they were.  In other words, all of us are sinful; all of us stand in need of God’s forgiveness.  Our common need for forgiveness unites us to one another.

 In the second part of the Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree.  The fig tree had not produced any figs for three years. The owner told the gardener to cut it down.  The gardener asked for one more year to cultivate it so that it might bear fruit in the future. William Barclay in his Daily Study Bible offers several reflections on this parable.

 First, he points out that in Jesus’ time fig trees occupied a privileged position.  He suggests that the parable, therefore, implies that God will judge us based on the opportunities we had.  Second, the parable suggests that God asks and expects us to make a difference.  Third, the fig tree was going to be cut down because it was exhausting the soil without producing any figs.  Barclay suggests that ultimately, in God’s eyes, there are only two kinds of people: people who are primarily givers and people who are primarily takers.

 At the same time, this parable is the parable of the second chance. In fact, we believe that God offers us multiple chances in life.  However, for each of us, there will also be the final chance after which we must stand before God and give an account of our lives.

 My brothers and sisters, tomorrow (Monday) evening will be our Lenten Penance Service at 7:00 p.m. here at Little Flower.  I invite and encourage you to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Monday evening.  Eight priests will be here to hear confessions. Today’s Gospel reminds us that all of us are united in needing God’s forgiveness. Likewise, the parable in today’s Gospel reminds us that all of us are accountable to God for our actions. The Sacrament of Reconciliation not only brings forgiveness for our past sins but empowers us to live better, more Christian lives in the future.