
Parable of the barren fig tree
A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came to look for fruit on that fig tree and found none. Then he said to his vinedresser, ‘I have been coming for three years to look for fruit on this fig tree, and I have found none. Cut. But the vinedresser said to him, « Sir, leave it for another year while I dig around it and put manure on it. Perhaps it will bear fruit in the future. If not, you will cut it down. God is eternally present, God has revealed his whole being.
He has revealed himself as the one who loves us all, without exception, and is always with us. God is the one who is with us, he is present and through this presence he manifests his love for us all. Jesus instituted the Eucharist to remain present among us after his resurrection. The Lord is tender and merciful, slow to anger and full of love (Ps 103:8).
What can we do, at our level, as a family to witness to this better? God is patient and always gives us another chance, like the vinedresser in the Gospel with the barren fig tree (Lk 13, 6-8), where Jesus presents himself as a patient gardener who still hopes for fruit. Let us return to him with all our hearts.
The first reading is from the book of Exodus, chapter three.
Comment Moses is the author of the book of Exodus and its central character. The story of Israel from the death of Joseph to the building of the Tabernacle is the main theme. Liberation (partial according to the law but complete through Jesus) is the key word of this book. God reveals himself as the God of promise, faithful to his Word, who came to liberate the descendants of Abraham. He presents himself as the ABSOLUTE : « I am he who is ».
Note The Land of Canaan (Hebrew: כנען Kəná’an, Kənā’an – Kená’an, Kná’an) is a term used in the biblical narrative to describe the part of the Near East between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River (this region corresponds more or less today to the territories of Israel, western Jordan, southern Syria and Lebanon), before its conquest by Joshua and the tribes of Israel that came out of Egypt.
The Old Testament reading reveals God at work in the past and gives us hope that he will continue to act in the same way. In the second reading (see below), the Apostle Paul gives us an example of this.
Text Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock across the desert and reached Horeb, the mountain of God. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in the midst of a fire coming out of a bush. Moses looked and the bush burned, but was not consumed. Moses said to himself : « I will take a diversion to see this extraordinary thing: why doesn’t the bush burn ? «
The Lord saw that he had turned to look and God called to him from the bush : « Moses ! Moses ! » He said : « Here I am ! » Then God said : « Do not come near! Take off your sandals, for the place where your feet stand is holy ground! I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. «
The Lord said to Moses : « I am sending you to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the land of Canaan. Now go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. I have seen, yes, I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt and I have heard their cries under the blows of their masters. Yes, I know their sufferings. I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from this land into a spacious and fertile land. »
Moses said : » I will go to the children of Israel and say to them : the God of your fathers has sent me to you. They will ask me what is his name ; what shall I tell them ? « . God said unto Moses : « I am he who is. «
God said unto Moses : « Speak unto the children of Israel: ‘He that sent me unto you is Yahweh, the Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. This is my name for ever; this is the memorial with which you shall celebrate me from age to age ».
Psalm 103 (v1 to v4, v6 to v8, v11)
Comment This psalm, attributed to David, is of transcendent richness and comfort. In short, it is the very being of God who is Love ; Love is a component of his very Being. From this magnificent psalm, reproduced here in its entirety, eight verses have been chosen for next Sunday’s celebration. The key word is the verb to bless, which is found from beginning to end.
It is a hymn of thanksgiving for God’s inexhaustible goodness; a hymn that opens with an invitation to praise him. This is followed by motifs of praise in relation to God’s work in creation and history. Text Bless the Lord, O my soul, bless his most holy name, my whole being! Bless the Lord, my soul, do not forget any of his blessings! For he forgives all your offences and heals you of every illness; he reclaims your life from the grave and crowns you with love and tenderness ; he fills your old age with good things; you, like the eagle, renew your youth.
The Lord does justice, he defends the rights of the oppressed. He reveals his purpose to Moses and his great works to the children of Israel. The Lord is tender and merciful, slow to anger and full of love ; He does not sit in judgment forever, nor keep his reproaches without end ; He does not deal with us according to our iniquities, nor repay us according to our offences.
As the heavens rule the earth, so strong is his love for those who fear him; As the east is far from the west, he turns our sins away from us; Like the tenderness of a father for his children, the tenderness of the Lord for those who fear him !
He knows what we are made of ; He remembers that we are dust. Man’s days are like grass; like the flower of the field he flourishes : As soon as the wind blows, he is no more; Even the place where he was does not know him. But the love of the Lord for those who fear him is from everlasting to everlasting, and his righteousness for their children, for those who keep his covenant and remember to do his will.
First letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians
This passage from Paul’s letter can be summarised as follows: « Do not overestimate yourselves; no one is immune from temptation! « In the young community of Corinth, there were « strong minds » who thought they were immune from temptation and claimed to be able to see everything, hear everything, reason everything. Neither their faith nor the sacraments exempted them from prudence and doubt. The Old Testament is full of lessons on this subject. Do we not believe that we too can read anything, hear anything, see any film, play strong minded? Do we not reject effort, self-giving, prayer, humility, a discipline of life as outdated? Let us not hide behind our faith and the sacraments we have received to excuse ourselves from doing more.
History According to the Acts of the Apostles
The Apostle Paul is the founder of the church in Corinth. On his second missionary journey, he spent 18 months in this community. He arrived from Athens, where he had debated with Greek philosophers in the Areopagus (Acts 16, 17-34). There he met a Jew named Aquila and his wife Priscilla. Paul took up residence with them. They worked together because Priscilla and Aquila were also tent-makers.
Every Saturday he goes to the synagogue where he tells the Jews and Greeks about his personal encounter with Jesus Christ who is the Messiah. Many of the Jews do not support this view and make this known to the apostle harshly. However, many people, including some Jews, believe the message of the Good News and are baptised. This is the beginning of the church in Corinth. (Acts 18, 1-17)
The Lord has his throne in the heavens ; his kingdom extends over the universe. Bless him, you messengers of the Lord, you invincible bearers of his commands, you who listen to the sound of his word. Bless him, you armies of the Lord, you servants who do his bidding. Bless him for all the works of the Lord in all his domain. Bless the Lord, O my soul ! As the heavens rule the earth, so strong is his love for those who fear him ; As the east is far from the west, he turns away our sins from us ; Like the tenderness of a father for his children, the tenderness of the Lord for those who fear him !
Text I want you to remember, brothers, what happened to our ancestors in the time of Moses. They were all under the protection of the cloud and they all passed through the Red Sea. In the cloud and in the sea they were all baptized in fellowship with Moses. They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and they all drank the same spiritual drink : they drank from the same spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ ; they were not acceptable to God, and so they fell dead in the wilderness.
These facts are examples for us, so that we do not have evil desires like them. Do not worship idols as some of them did. As the Scripture says : « The people sat down to eat and drink, and then got up and went about. » And they sat down to eat and drink, and then rose up to enjoy themselves. Nor do we indulge in debauchery, as some of them did, and twenty and twenty-three thousand fell dead in one day. Let us not test Christ, as some of them did. Some of them did, and they died from the bite of snakes. Finally, do not complain, as some of them did, and they died.
Text I want you to remember, brothers, what happened to our ancestors in the days of Moses. They were all under the protection of the cloud, and they all passed through the Red Sea. In the cloud and in the sea they were all baptized in fellowship with Moses. They all ate the same spiritual food and they all drank the same spiritual drink : they drank from the rock They drank from the same spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ they were not acceptable to God, and so they fell dead in the wilderness.
These facts are examples for us, so that we do not have evil desires like them. Do not worship idols as some of them did. As the Scripture says : « The people sat down to eat and drink, and then they got up and went about » and then they got up to enjoy themselves. Neither do we indulge in debauchery, as some of them did, and twenty, and were cut off by the angel of death.
These misfortunes happened to them as an example to others; they have been written down as a warning to us, because we live in a time toward the end. 12 Therefore, let him who thinks he is standing beware lest he fall.
From the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Luke
Comment Jesus uses two unfortunate events to proclaim the need for penance for all (verses 1-5). Let us become aware of what we have done since the beginning of this Lent in order to enter into the PENITENCE suggested by the CHURCH. What have we done without ?… What time have we spent in PRAYER?… What sharing of our wealth have we been able to do ?… Have we spent a few hours STUDYING Christ in his WORD in order to know him better and adapt our lives to his?… What actions have we taken to help and support our neighbour on his journey towards Christ ? God has chosen us to bear fruit.
What actions have we taken to help and support our neighbour on his journey towards Christ ? God has chosen us to bear fruit. The Gospel of this third Sunday of Lent tells of events just as tragic as those we face in our own time, that is, almost two thousand years ago. It was the case of the Galileans massacred on Pilate’s orders while they were praying; it was the eighteen people killed by the fall of the tower of Siloam. The reaction of Jesus, to whom these facts were reported, would be the opposite of what we would have said or thought.
Jesus said that these victims of Pilate and these poor people buried under the rubble of the tower of Siloam were no more sinful than the others and therefore did not deserve this unhappy fate, the cause of which lies elsewhere. It is the human heart that must change for social structures to improve.
Deacon Michel Houyoux
Links to other Christian websites
◊ Dominican Center : click here to read the paper → Third Sunday in Lent – Year C
◊ Young Cathoolics : click here to read the paper → Third Sunday of Lent Year C (2022)
♥ Claret Media Cameroon Biblical Pastoral Ministry
