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| “The Barren Fig Tree” by James Tissot, c. 1896-1900 |
Today in the Church the Elect who are participating in
the Right of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) will be presented with the
Creed. Because of this the Cycle A
readings may be used. An A
Cycle post is provided here for those who wish to use those readings.
Reading I: Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15
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.”
When the LORD saw him coming
over to look at it more closely,
God called out to him from
the bush, Moses! 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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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Commentary on Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15
The passage from Exodus is the story of God’s call of Moses from
the burning bush. The Lord indicates
that he has “come down” indicating that He will intervene in the plight of the
Israelites.
There is concern from Moses that he must be able to tell the
Israelites the name of God in whose name he comes. The Lord names himself “I am who am.” Giving no name that can be used to have
dominion over him as ancient Samarian tradition suggests (see Genesis – man
names the animals as a sign that he has been given dominion over them). This is the origin of the term “Yahweh” used
to name God in some English translations.
It is transliterated Hebrew shortened from “Yahweh asher yahweh” or “He
causes to be what comes into existence”.
As an interesting side note, the use of the term “Jehovah” was a misreading
of the Hebrew pointed text.
He goes further, instructing Moses to tell those in bondage in Egypt
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
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.
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.
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.
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Commentary on Ps 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11
Psalm 103 praises God for this compassion and forgiveness. Three
of God’s blessings are enumerated: forgiveness, healing, and salvation. It
recalls Moses’ mission and the salvation brought through it.
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Reading II: 1 Corinthians 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.
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.
Yet God was not pleased with
most of them,
for they were struck down in
the desert.
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.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12
The evangelist concludes this selection speaking especially to the
Jewish converts who point to their heritage as justification for salvation
instead of following the Gospel of Christ.
He warns them that they could be falling into the same trap as their
ancestors.
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Gospel: Luke 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!
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!”
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.’”
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Commentary on Lk 13:1-9
In the first section of this reading Jesus speaks about two
incidents; a group of Galileans apparently killed by Pilate (possibly at the
temple “…whose
blood Pilate mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.”), and
eighteen people accidentally killed when a tower under construction
collapsed. These incidents related to
Jesus gave him the opportunity to call everyone to repentance, since like those
who had died (who he tells us were not singled out because of their sins), we
do not know when the end will come.
He continues his lesion with the Parable of the Fig Tree. This particular story would seem to indicate
that the coming of the Christ (“…I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it”) God has
given them (us) time to repent, and through him find salvation.
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Homily:
There is an old Chinese curse
that goes “May you live in interesting times.”
We certainly feel like that is how things are going these days. Our Holy Father has gone into
retirement. He is now His Holiness, Pope
Emeritus Benedict XVI.
That word Emeritus is
interesting. Around this neck of the
woods it is most usually applied to professors at the universities who have
retired honorably. Its Latin root “merēre”
means “deserving merit”. It is very appropriately
applied to His Holiness. The Church is at this moment in Sede Vacante, or
vacant See. We breathlessly await the
conclave that will elect our next Pontiff.
We have heard from those who
seem very anxious about this situation.
They feel somewhat lost, that there is no one guiding the great
ship that is Christ’s Church on earth.
If there are those among you who feel this way, be at peace. As our Pope Emeritus has told us, Christ is
the true head of the Church.
St. Paul, in his letter to
the Corinthians reminds us that we have all received water from the same
Baptismal font and are, as a consequence, brothers and sisters in Christ. He tells us:
“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.”
The Apostle reminds us that
we are one in the Eucharist (our “spiritual food” and “spiritual drink”) His
reference to the spiritual rock was a reference to the living water that unites
us in one baptism. Christ lives on in us
and the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit that will guide the Cardinals in
Rome, guides us in our daily lives.
We are sure that it was only
through the great grace given to His Holiness, Benedict XVI that he was able to
do what he did, laying down his office in favor of a new Vicar of Christ with
greater strength and vigor. If he had
not possessed great faith in Christ’s love, he could never have trusted our
Heavenly Father to watch over the Sede Vacante even for a moment. As it is our Pope Emeritus, always a great teacher
has given us and the world a parting lesson that is at once the most powerful
and misunderstood of his entire papacy.
·
First he showed his greatness of faith in Christ
by entrusting to God the petrine office he had assumed eight years ago.
·
Next and in the same breath, he showed the world
that the most powerful religious office in the world was not something to be
grasped at, a prize to be won. Rather it
was a duty to be carried out.
·
Finally, he showed us and the world how much he
loves us. He would rather risk his
reputation through posterity as the one who quit, rather than, through his lack
of strength, lead the Church poorly at this critical time in the her history.
While I do not profess to
know the mind of His Holiness, I think he is rather like the captain of a
passenger ship caught in a very bad storm.
He has been at the helm as long as he feels he can and now sees the ship
is in danger of floundering without a stronger, fresher hand to steer her. Yes, he is the captain but a captain’s first
duty is to the safety of the ship and those who sail in her. Our captain, because of his great love for
the ship and those who voyage with him has decided a better captain is needed.
Those who do not understand
these great lessons need to think carefully.
With all of the power of the papacy, it would have been much easier for
our Pope Emeritus to simply slow down while remaining in office. He could have done just that, others
have. He could have cited fatigue and
ill health, limiting his travel, reducing the number of audiences, adjusting
his daily schedule. This would have been
much easier than taking the action he did.
No, our hearts must go out to
our Pope Emeritus. He has shown us
Christ’s love and the leadership qualities of the one who washed his disciple’s
feet.
We continue our Lenten
journey now confident that through our discipline of prayer fasting and
almsgiving, we might conform ourselves to more and more to the image of Christ.
Pax
[2]
The picture is “The Barren Fig Tree” by James Tissot, c. 1896-1900
[4]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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