THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT "C"

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

Cycle “C”: Luke 13. 1-9

Let me relate a little incident in the life of Sir Georg Solti. Georg Solti was for five years the much-acclaimed conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra till 1983. One evening he was invited with a friend to listen to a concert. It was an enjoyable evening, especially that the lead singer was a lady who performed very well. As they walked home after the concert, Sir Goerg Solti’s friend asked him, “Wasn’t she good ?” Georg Solti answered, “Yes, she was good. But let something break her heart, and then she’ll be great.”

In our own lives God often makes use of a shock or tragedy or illness to awaken us to something higher and greater. He might allow our heart to be broken so that we may recognize that something is wrong with us. Like a skilled surgeon, God wounds only to heal. Catastrophe, ours and others, can threaten our faith. We are horrified at the sights and sounds of suffering brought home to us by the media. When tragedy invades our own lives, it can shake us to the core. But it is also a summons to greatness, deeper faith and nobility of heart. The people of Jesus’ day had an easy but dismal answer to tragedy, disease and sudden death. It was punishment for sin. Today some pseudo religious people declare that A.I.D.S. is God’s revenge for sin. People who speak like this have the greater sin, since they want importance by intimidation. Jesus demolished that divine vengeance ideology. In today’s Gospel Jesus responds to the news of two tragic incidents. These people were no more sinful than others. The point that Jesus makes is the urgent need for all of us to repent. Our life on this earth is fragile. There’s a sense in which death is always close at hand. It’s a risky business putting off repentance to a later date. Jesus calls his hearers to learn from those untimely deaths that it’s necessary always to be ready for judgement. The parable of the fig tree conveys the message that now is a time of grace. We are given a window of opportunity for repentance. We have no idea how long the moment of grace will last. We need to see our lives in the light of eternity.

Talking about conversion, the late Cardinal Basil Hume said, “It is not a switch of sympathies or the adoption of a different set of ideas. Rather, it is the adoption of a different set of values. It is a change of heart. It leads us to embrace wholeheartedly what the Gospel says and to love him who says it. It inspires us to work for a more just and humane world.”

“A soul without a high aim is like a ship without a rudder,” said Eileen Caddy, co-founder of the Findhorne community. Don’t make the mistake of allowing yourself to be blown aimlessly through life. Do not hesitate to follow the highest dictates of your heart.

The 19^th. century British essayist Charles Lamb described a certain leader in the following lines: “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 great things, if he tried.’ Toward the end, it was said of him, ‘He might have done great things, if he had liked.’” Wasn’t it the 18^th. century Scottish poet, George Burns, who said, “ The saddest words of tongue or pen are, ‘It might have been.’” Actually he was referring to a politician who had no more spiritual backbone than a chocolate éclair.

 Let me end with some advice from Margaret Holmes, “Self-denial 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 theatre tickets, treat somebody else to the movies;…..the list of possibilities is endless, the blessings boundless.”

PRAYER (extract of the prayer of repentance of Sir Thomas More who was beheaded on Tower Hill on 6^th. July 1535)

Good and gracious God, as thou givest me grace to acknowledge my sins, so give me grace in both word and heart to repent them and utterly forsake them. And forgive me those sins which my pride blinds me from discerning. Glorious God, give me thy grace to turn my back on the things of this world, and fix my heart solely on thee. Give me thy grace to amend my life, so that I can approach death without resentment, knowing that in thee is the gateway to eternal riches. Almighty God, take from me all desire for worldly praise, and all emotions of anger and revenge. Grant me, good Lord, a full faith, a firm hope and a fervent love. Amen.