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Saturday, March 2, 2013

March 3, 2013 - Third Sunday Of Lent



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Third Sunday of Lent 
Lectionary: 30

Reading 1EX 3:1-8A, 13-15


If you remember, Moses was raised by Pharao's daughter.  But at this point in his life, he had fled the Kingdom of Egypt because he had murdered an Egyptian while defending the Hebrews.  He has found sanctuary in the household of Jethro and has married one of his daughters, Zipporah.  At this point, he is tending the flocks.

Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro,
the priest of Midian.
Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb,
the mountain of God.
There an angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in fire
flaming out of a bush.
As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush,
though on fire, was not consumed.
So Moses decided,
“I must go over to look at this remarkable sight,
and see why the bush is not burned.”
Moses sees an extraordinary sight.  A bush aflame but the flames do not harm the bush.  He approaches to see what is happening.  He is not aware that the flame signifies the presence of the Angel of the Lord. 

When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely,  God called out to him from the bush, AMoses! Moses!”
Apparently, the Angel of the Lord is God, Himself.  And God calls out to Moses.

He answered, “Here I am.”
God said, “Come no nearer!
Remove the sandals from your feet,
for the place where you stand is holy ground.
Moses responds and God tells him to remain where he is and to remove his shoes, because the place where he walks is holy ground.

I am the God of your fathers, “ he continued,
“the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.”
Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Then God identifies Himself to Moses, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."  And Moses covers his face in fear of looking at God.

But the LORD said,
“I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt
and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers,
so I know well what they are suffering.
Therefore I have come down to rescue them
from the hands of the Egyptians
and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land,  a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Then God says, "I have heard about the trouble which Pharao has caused my people.  Therefore, I have come to rescue them." 

Moses said to God, “But when I go to the Israelites
and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?”  God replied, “I am who am.”
Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites:
I AM sent me to you.”
Moses doesn't think the Jews will believe him that he is sent by God, so he asks God to reveal His name so that he can tell the Jews who sent him.  And God said, "Tell the Jews that IAM sent you."

"I am" signifies that God is all things and that all things live, move and have their being in God.  Therefore in another place, Scripture says:

Acts 17:28
For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.


God spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,
has sent me to you.
“This is my name forever;
thus am I to be remembered through all generations.”
And God continued, "Tell them the God of their forefathers sent you to them.  And this is how I am remembered always." 

Responsorial PsalmPS 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11

R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
God is good and forgiving
I love God with all my spirit and I praise His name.
Praise God my spirit and remember his gifts to you.

He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills,
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
God forgives me and makes me right.  He saves me from perdition.  He gives me love and cares for me.

The LORD secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
God protects the down trodden.  He revealed Himself to Moses and showed the Jews His marvelous works.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
God is love and forgiveness.  God does not punish us as we are due but is gentle.   His goodness is beyond compare to those who love Him. 

Reading 21 COR 10:1-6, 10-12

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
that our ancestors were all under the cloud
and all passed through the sea,
and all of them were baptized into Moses
in the cloud and in the sea.
St. Paul says:
I want you to be aware, that the crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites was like their baptism into the body of Moses. 

All ate the same spiritual food,
and all drank the same spiritual drink,
for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them,
and the rock was the Christ.
Just as we, together, eat the Body and drink the Body of Christ, they ate the Manna and drank from the spiritual rock together in the desert.

Yet God was not pleased with most of them,
for they were struck down in the desert.
Yet, many of them died in the desert because they displeased God.

These things happened as examples for us,
so that we might not desire evil things, as they did.
Do not grumble as some of them did,
and suffered death by the destroyer.
These things happened to them as an example,
and they have been written down as a warning to us,
upon whom the end of the ages has come.
Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure
should take care not to fall.
This can also happen to you.  Leave evil behind and follow righteousness that you may live.  Whoever thinks he is saved should watch out, or he may fall.

GospelLK 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.  Jesus said to them in reply,
“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way   they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?  By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!
Some people asked Jesus about the Galileans who had died by the hand of Pontius Pilate and their blood mingled with their sacrifices to God.  They wondered whether this sort of death was a result of great sin.  Whether it was a punishment sent by God.

Jesus answer is confusing to me.  First He asks, "Do you think they died that way because they were greater sinners?"  And He answers His own question, "No!"  And then He adds, "but if you don't repent, your end will be worse than theirs."

He seems to be saying that our earthly death is of little consequence in the grand scheme of things.  And that we should repent of our sins in order to be prepared for the Great Judgment, or we will have a worse end than any of those people in the examples.

Or those eighteen people who were killed
when the tower at Siloam fell on them—
do you think they were more guilty
than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!”
Then Jesus repeats the lesson using another group of people as an example.  

And he told them this parable:
“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener,
‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none.
So cut it down.
   Why should it exhaust the soil?’
He said to him in reply,
‘Sir, leave it for this year also,
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;
it may bear fruit in the future.
If not you can cut it down.’”
Then Jesus tells the Jews that He is their last chance.  He says this with a story about a farmer who plants a fig tree.  The fig tree is in his yard for three years but does not give any fruit.  Therefore, the farmer tells his gardner to cut it down.  The gardner however, asks for mercy for the fig tree.  One more year.

In this parable, Jesus is the gardner and the Jews are the fig tree which has not given fruit.  And Jesus is telling them that this is the hour of mercy.  If they do not repent, they will be chopped down.

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