Third Sunday of Lent. C - Sunday, March 20, 2022 (EPISODE:356)

Readings for Sunday, March 20, 2022

FIRST READING: Exod 3:1-8a, 13-15
Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8+11. "The Lord is kind and merciful"
SECOND READING: 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Matt 4:17). Glory to you, Word of God, Lord Jesus Christ. Repent, says the Lord. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
GOSPEL: Luke 13:1-9

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Item ID: 1108054889 - Biblical vector illustration series, Moses and the burning bush. Formats. Contributor: rudall30

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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Third Sunday of Lent. C - Sunday, March 20, 2022 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ep-356-lent-3c-2022?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing (EPISODE:356)
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* (Homily: Fr Paul Kelly)
Set My People Free

In the second reading today, Saint Paul has some very strong words for the community in Corinth. He warns them very sternly, to be on their guard and lists three great dangers that can poison any community: Complacency, Self-indulgence, and culture of Complaint and negativity.

Each of these three vices is absolutely lethal to any community. Criticism, gossip and complaint in a community will rip the community apart and render it useless.

The readings this weekend also highlight the vital connection between God's nature and the 'doing of justice,' and between our God of love, who acts on that love in practical ways, to help those who suffer.

*In the first reading, God SEES the need of his beloved people, who are being mistreated. God is determined to DO something about it, to free them from their terrible situation. And GOD then ACTS, definitively in history, by calling upon his servant Moses to 'set my people free'.

And God does not simply stop at that. The Lord works WITH and THROUGH Moses and his brother Aaron and also through the cooperation of the people of Israel, to achieve that freedom which God so deeply desires for his people. It is God's action, with the people's cooperation. God acts definitively in history through the united cooperation of people who are open, positive and practical in achieving God's will.

Many people throughout history have asked: "how can God stand by and see so much suffering and so much injustice in the world and not DO something?" … But, in reality… God SEES and cannot STAND the wrongdoing and injustice and suffering in the world…. And God HAS done something…

God continues to do something about it! Particularly, God CALLS and commissions people of goodwill, (people like Moses), to DO something about what is wrong…./ As the saying goes, "God has no other hands-on earth but ours…" / God wants to use our hands, our heart and our voices to bring a helping hand and just response to those in need.

The message that GOD is WITH his people, is found even in God's holy and mysterious name, which is revealed to Moses. God's very name means many wonderful and mysterious things, but very basically (for it defies full translation), God's proper name means..."I am." And this also means (among many other things) that God is: ..."I AM with you!!!.".. God PROMISES to be with all who strive diligently to work for justice in the world. God is also very much with the people who are suffering and in need and who are enduring great harm in this world. God is suffering in and with the people, as close as possible to those who are enduring these experiences.

Jesus makes it really clear, in this Gospel this weekend, that there are is NO connection between sin and the misfortunes which may happen to us, whether the cause is human willpower, (eg Pilate ruthlessly killing worshippers while they are at prayer, Lk 13:1) or even whether the tragedy is caused by accident or negligence, (eg. a tower collapsing on people (v. 4)).

Insult is added to injury by the callous suggestion that the poor and the sick, and also any victims of crime or accident have somehow brought these situations on themselves, or are being paid back for their wrongdoings or somehow deserving of the misfortunes that happen to them. What a terrible thing to burden people who are already suffering horribly.

Our Lord showed that he always cares very much about the poor and suffering and points out that if that was really the way God worked, everyone could expect a building to fall on top of them, for there are a great many wrongs throughout any community and most of these wrongs are not visited with any kind of divine or natural or human retribution.

So, the Lord frees us from this concept which prevents us, on one hand, from facing the real causes of the evils and wrongs befalling us. People are wrongly attributing disasters to some type of fatality which plunges us into passivity - unable to do anything to accept what has happened as something we somehow deserve.

To advocate an image of God as one who works through the malice of others or natural disasters to punish the wicked; is to terribly distort the true image of the God of love and life.

Unavoidable disasters or events or even bad things happening at the hands of malicious people is not a sign that the victim is somehow being punished. If one wants to see where the hand of God is to be found in the midst of disaster and tragedy, then we ought not to look at God as the cause of the disaster, but rather look for God's healing and compassionate touch, in the hands of all those rallying to offer practical help in times of disaster and loss. It is Christ himself we see active and practically at work in the actions and compassion and assistance and healing offered by loved ones and friends and people of goodwill who are embracing the mourners, bandaging the wounded, and feeding the starving and rebuilding fallen structures... and so on.

A more helpful sign of the results of sin is the failure to bear the fruits of charity, justice, compassion, mercy and healing, in situations where it is possible. Our Lord states this in the parable he teaches today (Vv. 6-9),

In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that God is not filled with anger, vengeance or summary justice.... but God is a loving parent, who is very long-suffering, fore-bearing and compassionate. God is patiently waiting for and encouraging our deeds and for the good fruits of our faith, hope, and love.

Jesus is the God not of punishment but of patience, mercy, justice, and love.

But he leaves us with this final caveat… time is limited, so start bearing fruit now, there is no time like the present.

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References:

Homily –Fr Paul W. Kelly

Gutiérrez, G. and Dees, C. (1997). Sharing the Word through the liturgical year. 1st ed. Maryknoll: Orbis Books)

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Item ID: 1108054889 - Biblical vector illustration series, Moses and the burning bush. Formats. Contributor: rudall30.

Third Sunday of Lent. C (Sunday, March 20, 2022) (EPISODE:356)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

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{{Peace and Patience to you all}} welcome everyone, we gather - To offer or praise, prayers and intercessions to our loving God

my brothers and sisters, to prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries, let us call to mind our sins.

Lord Jesus, you call your people to turn away from sin: Lord, have mercy//You teach us wisdom, and write your truth in our inmost heart: Christ, have mercy//You forgive sins through the ministry of reconciliation: Lord, have mercy//

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

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Memorial Acclamation

3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.

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PREFACE: Lent II

EP III

(theme variation: 3 )

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{Thank you for giving generously of your time and prayer.}

Go forth, the Mass is ended.

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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au

To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:

"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993). (Sydney Australia).

"Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.

Lenten Hymn: "Have Mercy" inspired by Psalm 50(51). Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2020.

[ Production - KER - 2022]

May God bless and keep you.

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