Third Sunday of Lent

Third Sunday of Lent - Year C

Some years ago, I was working in a school that was blessed to have an older Charity sister working in a part-time pastoral care role. One of the many things that she did was to create beautiful and thoughtful sacred spaces in the school foyer, representative of the season of the Church and Gospel of the day. Every visitor to the school, the students collecting the home room roll, and everyone else who went to the office - whether for an ice pack, to pick up their photocopying, or to hand in lost property - would all come across her creations. They were usually inspiring, edifying, and comforting.

Until the day she based her sacred space on this Sunday's Gospel. It consisted of crumpled newsprint, ashes and a simple banner in all caps that read 'REPENT OR DIE!'

It is safe to say that it inspired a range of responses, one of which was to ask, 'Is that seriously from the Gospel?' The short answer is yes, but not in exactly those words.

The Gospel according to Luke has a reputation as 'the gentle one.' It's not as abrupt as Mark's fast paced, extended passion narrative, it is more inclusive of women and gentiles, and it doesn't have the same level of open hostility towards the scribes and pharisees as Matthew's account. But here we are - REPENT OR DIE!

The fuller context of the story is that among Jesus' followers are those that believe in a God that intervenes in the lives of people to immediately punish the sinful. Pilate had reportedly ordered the slaughter of a group of rebels from Galilee - opponents of King Herod and of Rome. And worse still in the eyes of the Jews, had done so in the Temple.

Jesus challenges the supposition that these men must have been great sinners to have suffered such a terrible fate - that they were struck down by the hand of God.

That's not how it works, He tells them. God is merciful, but God is also just. And He tells them a parable about a tree that has not borne fruit for many seasons. The steward will not cut the tree down in anger, but eventually the tree will condemn itself.

This story is not a tale that the author of Luke recounts to threaten us, or to inspire fear. But it is a cautionary tale, nonetheless. The loving mercy of God surrounds us - shaping and cultivating. But if we make no effort to seek or respond to God's loving mercy - if we choose not to repent and remain apart from God - then that will be our fate.

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Scripture Reflections Seeking Understanding

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