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Homilies are posted no later than during the week
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3 Lent
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Third
Sunday of Lent - Cycle C
Luke 13,1-9
Thomas Jefferson left instructions that his tombstone was to mention
that he was the author of the Declaration of Independence. It was to
make no reference to the fact that he was the third President of the
United States. The distinguished gentleman from Monticello, Virginia
was attempting to make a very serious point. What one's title or titles
are is really of no account. But what one accomplishes in one's life is
of supreme importance.
Lent, says the clever James Tahaney, is the time for telling stories.
The two principal actors in this all-important drama are the Christ and
one's own self. But the story's conclusion is not up to the Nazarene.
Rather, it is up to each of us. It is we who are the authors. It is we
who must put in the ingredients that will make up the entire
drama. Will our story be, like His, the greatest story ever told?
Or will it be best forgotten? Only a resurrection of our lives,
occurring at the quickly approaching Feast of Easter, will make it
certain that we are to be numbered among the winners. In a word,
will you and I be one of those like Mr Jefferson who bears fruit that
will last?
Evelyn Underhill suggests we cannot forever go on being a good egg.
Some day we have to hatch.
Will the Christ be proud of us and boast of us glowingly to His Father?
Will He say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"? Will He
hold us up as a model to His other followers? Or will He say of
us sadly what His servant, the nineteenth century British essayist
Charles Lamb, said of someone? "In his life, there were three stages.
When he was young, it was said of him, `He will do great things.' As he
grew older, it was said of him, `He could do great things if he tried.'
Toward the end, it was said of him, `He might have done great things if
he had liked.'"
A man once spoke of a person, to paraphrase Theodore Roosevelt, who had
no more spiritual backbone than a chocolate eclair. Would that no one,
but especially Christ, make that judgment of anyone of us! With a good
Lent behind us, we can insure that they will not.
It could have been said of the gentleman whom Mr Lamb had in mind, "He
possessed the powers of genius and used them like an irresponsible
schoolboy."
Many of us feel that "little old me" really has no contribution to make
to the commonweal whether it be the Church or the nation. We ask
ourselves quietly, "If I do not work up to my potential, who will be
the worse for it?"
But the record shows Jesus was very much concerned not only with large
groups as in John 6,1-13 but also with the individual or, if you will,
"little old me." Recall Luke 19, 3-10 where Jesus spends so much
quality time with Zacchaeus. Or reflect on John 3,1-21 where the
Christ, though exhausted, spent the whole night in conversation with
Nicodemus. Think too of His famous conversation with the woman at the
well in Samaria as described in John 4,8-30.
Obviously each individual, at least to Christ, is an important part of
the whole story. He counts on everyone of us. Whether the story has a
happy or sad ending does indeed depend on our contribution, however
small. Each must do what he or she can to promote the cause of the
Teacher. We are, after all, His arms and legs in this year of Our Lord.
When you think of helping the individual, reflect on St Thomas Aquinas
who teaches that "there is within every soul a thirst for happiness and
meaning."
But how does one begin if our Lenten program is not already under way?
Take some advice from Majorie Holmes. "Self-denial, she writes, "can
make us feel virtuous, but what does it accomplish? Swearing off
something you like to eat means nothing when other people are hungry.
Carry those sweets to a rest home, hospital or children's home.
Contribute to a soup kitchen. If you're giving up entertainment, give
away your theater tickets, treat somebody to the movies...the list of
possibilities is endless. And the blessings boundless."
Move quickly. 1.3 billion people TIME magazine advises us are living on
less than one dollar a day.
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
3 Lent
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Third
Lent: There Is Still Time
Sometimes, when I speak with people preparing for marriage, I feel like
a life insurance salesman. I tell them that you really need to
have life insurance just in case something horrible happens. You
would not want your wife or husband and children put out of your home
and relying on charity because you didn’t provide for the worst case
scenario. The vast majority of the time, the young couple will
agree with this, but sometimes I have the feeling that the couple is
just “yessing me” to death, or agreeing with anything just “to keep the
priest happy.” One time a future bride told me in no uncertain
terms that she did not want to consider this. They were too young
to be concerned. There would be plenty of time later to worry
about a medical disaster. They were probably too young to be
married.
Sadly, none of us can predict our future. All of us have to be
prepared for the future. The Gospel reading for today speaks about
sudden and sad tragedies that took place at the time of the Lord.
Jesus uses these as a lesson for his disciples and for us. He
begins by noting the tragedies. One was an accident: a tower
under construction fell in Siloam. Eighteen people, workers and
bystanders, were killed. The second was an unprovoked attack.
Pontius Pilate, yes that same Roman whom some want to turn into a
victim of circumstances regarding the Lord’s death, Pontius
Pilate turned a Temple service into a bloodbath. The center
of opposition to the Roman occupation of Israel was Galilee. The most
adamant of the rebels were the members of a party called the
Zealots. By the way, one of these men, Simon the Zealot, left his
political agenda and became one of the twelve disciples and then
apostles. Back to Pontius Pilate. Pilate heard that a large
number of Galilean zealots had gathered in Jerusalem and would be
attending a special Temple service. “Perhaps,” Pilate’s spies
told him, “they would stir up the locals against Rome.” Pilate
decided to nip this in the bud. Only Jews were allowed in the
Temple precincts. So Pilate had his soldiers dress as though they
were Jews, and mingle in with the crowd. At a given signal, they
attacked all those at the service, thus mixing their blood with their
Temple sacrifices.
When
people’s lives come to a sudden end, whether it is through disease, an
accident, due to violence or a natural disaster like the earthquake in
Haiti, we all ask questions like: “Where is God? Has God
lost control? Doesn't he recognize what is happening to his
people?” Jesus says in the Gospel for today, "God knows, but the
time is not yet ready for him to come to judge all people, to protect
the innocent victims of evil in the world and to bring
evildoers to their just ends. Just as the farmer gives the fig
tree one more chance to bear fruit, God gives mankind in general and us
in particular a little more time to change our ways.”
Then
He will come with power, the power of His Name. Then all people
will recognize Him just as the Pharaoh of Egypt was forced to recognize
whom God was after Moses proclaimed God's name. When the power of
God is revealed then we, “who are no longer under a cloud of
uncertainly as our ancestors of the Old Testament times were,” as St.
Paul says in today's second reading, then we will stand before God and
present ourselves to Him.
But,
for now, we still have time.
It is Lent, the time for us to face up to the evil that is around us
and within us. Let me briefly reflect on a psychological aspect
of evil. History has clearly shown that the more we participate in
evil, the less we notice its existence. Those who ran the death
camps of Nazi Germany were so used to arbitrarily choosing individuals
for death that many of these murderers had no recognition of the evil
of their actions. Those who run the sleazy halls of our society
take no responsibility in their actions. Closer to home, the guy
at school or at work who treats girls like objects for his lust,
motivated by both selfishness and porn, you know the guy usually
referred to as “a jerk”, or the girl at school or at work who is
perfectly happy with using her sexuality to fill her lust and to
achieve whatever else she wants, and there are words we use for her
that need not be said, these people have become so used to their own
immorality, even so comfortable with it, that they take no
responsibility for their actions. “Everyone does this.
There is nothing wrong with it.” That is the rationalizing of the
devil.
There are times that we have all fallen for this great lie. Even
worse, the more we allow ourselves to become involved in immoral
activity, the easier it is for us to actually become comfortable with
our own immorality.
It
does not have to be this way. We are not animals compelled by
natural instincts to a course of action. We can change. We need
help though. The time to choose the Lord, not just with our words
but with the actions of our lives, the time to choose is now, not at
some moment in the future when we think we will drastically change and
embrace God. That future time might never come. Towers
fall. Massacres take place. Loved ones die.
We call upon God to come now and heal this sick world of
ours. Are we ready for Him? Are we a fig tree that is
producing fruit, or would we have to be cut down with every other part
of creation that has failed to serve its purpose?
Lent
is the time for reconciliation. Great word, reconciliation. Much
better than confession or penance. Reconciliation means setting
ourselves right in our relationships with others, God first and then
with His presence in His people. Lent is the time for us to
recognize our own participation in the cumulative effects of evil in
the world. Lent is a time for us to view our own personal
tragedies as resulting from the effect of evil on the innocent.
Lent is a time for us to ask for forgiveness and courage so that we
might bear fruit. Lent is a time for us to face up to our own failings
as we recognize that God can and will heal us and help us.
It
is not too late. The fig tree has been given another year.
May God give us the courage to use His time and our time wisely.
May we bear fruit.
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http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/
* available in Spanish - see
Spanish homilies
3 Lent
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Purpose
of the Church
(March 7, 2010)
Bottom line: The Church exists for the salvation of souls; like Jesus,
to call people to repentance.
Today's Gospel brings to mind a conversation between two young men. One
was a cradle Catholic, who later left the Church. The other had been
brought up in no religion, but joined the Catholic Church when he was
in college.
The first young man said, "Don't tell me about the Church. I went
through twelve years of Catholic schools and had it drummed into me.
When I got on my own, I started thinking for myself. It just did make
any sense to me. It had nothing to offer me."
The second young man said, "Fair enough, but can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," the first said.
"In your years of Catholic education, did anyone ever tell you the
purpose of the Church?"
Silence. In his twelve years of Catholic school, either no one told him
or he didn't remember the purpose of the Church. Why does the Church
exists at all? The young man, who converted to the Catholic faith, did
know. Before telling you, let me explain why it is important to know.
By way of comparison, suppose I am considering membership in a local
gym. I go for a visit and get a full tour. I see all the exercise
equipment and they tell about "trainers" who can help develop a good
exercise program. After listening to presentation, I say, "Yah, but you
don't have a place where I can get my favorite latte and a cinamon
roll!"
The gym manager would probably say to me, "That would be nice, but
we're here to help people get physically fit. You can get your latte
and roll across the street. Our purpose is physical fitness."
Now, it's only fair to judge a gym according to its basic purpose. Just
so, we need to know the Church's purpose before we can say whether the
Church - or any individual parish - is doing a good job.
So, what is the purpose of the Church? We see it dramatically in
today's Gospel. Jesus receives news of a massacre in Jerusalem. Pilate
had murdered a group of Galileans and then compounded his crime with a
sacrilege - he mixed their blood with Temple sacrifices.* Jesus might
have responded in various ways: He could have gone to console the
widows and orphans, maybe even taking up a collection for them. He
could have spoken out against the outrage, denounced Pilate for his
despotism. He could have even announced his supports for the Zealots,
who wanted independence from Rome. The Gospel, however, does not record
Jesus taking any of those actions. Rather, he turns to his listeners
and says:
If you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did.
At first these words seem insensitive, but if you think about it, they
show Jesus' basic concern. First, foremost and always, Jesus' concern
himself with the salvation of souls. He knew that in the long run, only
one thing matters: where we spend eternity. For that reason, he speaks
about repentance - before anything else. In fact the very first word
Jesus speaks, in his public ministry, is: repent! Turn away from sin
and turn to God. If you listen carefully to Jesus' teaching, you will
see that all his parables have that basic concern: the salvation of
souls.**
Jesus founded the Church to continue his mission: to bring people to
salvation. St. Paul, for example, warns that those who indulge in
sexual immorality and drunkeness will not inherit the kingdom of God.
They will not go to heaven. Therefore, he pleads, "In the name of
Christ...be reconciled to God."
Like St. Paul, early Christian writers knew the purpose of the Church.
I'd like to quote from a document titled "The Teaching of the Twelve
Apostles." Also known by as the "Didache," many scholars say it dates
from thirty or forty years after Jesus' death. The Didache begins with
these words:
"Two Ways there are, one of Life and one of Death, and there is great
difference between the Two Ways."
The Didache then goes on to explain the Two Ways. It gets quite
specific about the sins that lead to Death. But it also explains the
way that leads to Life, to eternal salvation. And it describes two of
the sacraments necessary for salvation: Baptism and Eucharist.
Salvation of souls: calling people to turn from the Way of Death and to
embrace the Way of Life. That was how the Church understood her purpose
in the first century. That continues to be our purpose in the
twenty-first century: saving souls, human beings.
Perhaps someone has come this Sunday because they saw the "Catholics,
Come Home" commercials. We welcome you. We want you. We need you. But
above all, we love you. Love means to desire the very best for the
other person. And the very best we can desire is that you spend
eternity, forever, with God in the Communion of Saints. As a parish, as
part of the universal Church, that is our purpose: the salvation of
souls.
During Lent we focus more directly on that purpose. We do that by
accompanying our catechumens and candidates as they prepare for the
Easter Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. This Sunday our
catechumens will receive the "First Scrutiny." It is pre-baptismal
exorcism. It does not mean they are possessed by the devil, but like
all of us, the devil does his best to keep them away from God, to not
receive the sacraments. In the Scrutiny we invoke the power of Christ
to defend and protect them - and by extension, all of us. This rite
underscores the purpose of the Church. By now, you probably know it by
heart - and can say it with me: The salvation of souls. The Church
exists for the salvation of souls; like Jesus, to call people to
repentance.
************
*To understand the context of this heinous event, I recommend: Pontius
Pilate: A Novel by Paul L. Maier. In this well-researched historical
novel, professor Maier reconstructs the life and times of the Roman
procurator.
**My favorites are the treasure buried in the field and the pearl of
great price. "In his joy, he sells all..." (Mt 13:44-46)
Intercessions for Third Sunday of Lent (from Priests for Life)
Spanish Version
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
3 Lent
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http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/homilies/index.lasso
3 Lent
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Gospel
Summary Return to All Homilies
Mar, 07, 2010
Luke 13:1-9
Campion P. Gavaler, O.S.B.
Third Sunday of Lent
Gospel Summary
The gospel passage refers to two recent tragedies that were on people's
minds. Pilate had ordered the massacre of some Galileans who had come
to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices in the temple. And eighteen people had
been killed when a tower at Siloam fell on them. Jesus comments that
the victims of these tragedies were no greater sinners than other
people were. He then says: "But I tell you, if you do not repent, you
will all perish as they did." Then he tells them the parable about the
person who had planted a fig tree that did not bear any fruit. When the
owner ordered it to be cut down, the gardener asked for another year of
cultivation to see if the fig tree would finally bear fruit before it
was cut down.
Life Implications
Jesus uses the experiences of the worst possible human tragedies in
order to reveal the possibility of even a greater spiritual tragedy. We
are all in a state not only of physical death, but of spiritual death
as well. Unless we turn to God to be saved from our condition of
spiritual death, Jesus warns us, all of us will remain in it and
perish. Saint Paul particularly in his Letter to the Romans clearly
spells out the reality of the death-culture to which Jesus alludes:
"all, both Jews and Gentiles, are under sin" (3:9). And this condition
of Sin (alienation from God, the source of life) Paul equates with
Death.
The human condition of Sin/Death, initiated by the first humans,
pre-exists the sins of individuals and is not their responsibility,
even though they have added to it by their own personal sins. Without
God's liberating grace, human beings would remain helplessly mired in a
state of enslavement to Sin/Death. Jesus says: Realize the truth of the
state you are in. Accept the liberated life of God's kingdom that I now
offer you, or you will all perish. It is easy to see why Jesus is
distressed by the illusion of self-righteousness that makes repentance
and liberation from Sin/Death impossible. I can think of no better
illustrations of this most fundamental teaching of Jesus than the
fiction of Flannery O'Connor. Her short stories have the power to
awaken us to the truth that we are all inextricably involved in evil,
and are all in dire need of God's liberating, saving grace.
After the warning about perishing in our sinful state unless we repent,
Luke adds Jesus' parable about the fig tree. We may be liberated from
our fallen state of Sin/Death and stand in freedom like a fig tree.
However, if we choose evil and do not bear the fruit of good work, we
will be cut down like a useless fig tree. In the second reading of
today's Mass (1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12), Paul forcefully emphasizes the
warning of Jesus' parable. Paul writes that his ancestors were
liberated for new life with God from their condition of death-slavery
in Egypt. However, under pressure of their trials they succumbed to
evil desires and thus reverted to a state of enslavement. "God was not
pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert."
The experience of the liberated slaves in the desert, Paul tells us, is
meant to serve as an example for us so that we will not desire evil
things. If we do, we would revert to our original enslavement to
Sin/Death as idolaters, seeking life where it cannot be found. Paul's
warning is an apt comment on the teaching of Jesus' parable: "Whoever
thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall." At the same
time, in the Spirit of Jesus, he offers us a word of comfort: "God is
faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with
the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to
bear it" (1 Cor 10:13).
Campion P. Gavaler, OSB
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
3 Lent
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Third
Sunday
Exodus 3, 1-8. 13-15; Psalm 103; 1 Corinthians 10, 1-6. 10-12; St. Luke
13, 1-9
When disaster befalls us and lives are lost in storms, fires and
floods, some wonder if they have been punished more than others as
somehow more deserving of God's wrath. People reacted in much the same
way in the Lord's day. A wall had fallen on some workers in Siloam,
which some took as God's punishment for those who had sinned more than
others. "...do you think that they were worse offenders than all the
others who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No; but unless you repent
you will all likewise perish." (Lk 13. 4-5)
"He tells us that, without Holy Baptism, no one will enter the kingdom
of heaven (cf. Jn 3:5); and, elsewhere, that if we do not repent we
will all perish (Lk 13:3). This is all easily understood. Ever since
man sinned, all his senses rebel against reason; therefore, if we want
the flesh to be controlled by the spirit and by reason, it must be
mortified; if we do not want the body to be at war the soul, it and all
our senses need to be chastened; if we desire to go to God, the soul
with all its faculties needs to be mortified" (St. John Mary Vianney,
Selected Sermons, Ash Wednesday).
Repentance in the heart leads to confession with the lips. The Lord
commands us to mourn for our sins and, with contrition, to embrace a
firm amendment to avoid the near occasions of sin in the future. This
contrition is not something added to the Gospel as an option but is of
necessity if we are to love God and receive the gift of salvation. The
disposition of contrition is required of us, therefore, when receiving
the sacramental gift of divine forgiveness in Confession.
Among the penitent's acts contrition occupies first place. Contrition
is "sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together
with the resolution not to sin again." (CCC 1451)
When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else,
contrition is called "perfect" (contrition of charity). Such contrition
remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it
includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession
as soon as possible. (Cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1676.) (CCC 1453)
Let's pray for each other until, together next week, we "meet Christ in
the liturgy", Father Cusick
(See also nos. 1453, 1454 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.)
(Publish with permission.) http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
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http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
3 Lent
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Father Bonar will not be posting homilies for Cycle B to allow himself
time for other projects. His collection of homilies (including homilies
for Cycle B) is available at www.clydebonar.com.
3 Lent |
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These
homilies may be copied and adapted for your own use;
however, they may not be commercially published without permission of
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