Exodus 3:1-8A,13-15 / Psalm 103:1-2,3-4,6-7,8,11 / 1 Corinthians 10:1-6,10-12 / Luke 13:1-9
In the first reading from the book of Exodus today, Moses approached the burning bush to get a closer look at it. But, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He answered “Here I am.” And God said “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
We would do well to remember this scripture verse each time we go to mass. If we believe in the true presence of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world then we should come to mass observing the same respect for our Lord’s presence that God expected from Moses. We should try to refrain from talking in the pews before mass starts. We should spend a few moments to prepare ourselves to participate fully in the holiest hour of the week when we are at mass. The mass is a holy event, set aside from everything else in our lives, solely to recognize God’s presence among us, to praise Him, worship Him, and show God our respect.
Again in the second reading today from First Corinthians, God expected his people to respect Him and not grumble against Him, because they were unhappy with the conditions they were living in while wandering in the desert for forty years. Many of the people suffered death because of it and their deaths were recorded as a warning to future generations. It is easy to fall into this pattern of complaining against God when we feel miserable, depressed or unhappy too, but this is not the way of holiness and nothing good comes out of doing this.
Then, the people told Jesus about the people that Pilate put to death. They must have thought these people were great sinners, because Jesus admonished them for thinking this way. They were no more sinners than anyone else, because the attitudes of the people questioning him was just as bad as the people they told him about who were put to death. Their attitudes toward their fellow man, did nothing to build up the kingdom of God. And, if they weren’t careful, they could die unexpectedly too. They needed to have a change of heart while they still had time to do so.
Jesus explained this in more detail when he told the parable about the fig tree that did not bear fruit for three years. We can be a little like this too, sometimes, just sort of existing from day to day. What’s the point in living a long life if it is not filled with love for other people? Perhaps the gardener in the story is Jesus Christ who in the end will judge our lives. But the priests in our parishes are also the workers in the Lord’s vineyard who bring God’s word to us and bring the love of Jesus Christ to us through the sacrament of communion and through their homilies. Our parish communities also works toward cultivating a welcoming atmosphere and encouragement to be actively involved in the life of the parish. However, after many years of attending mass, receiving the sacraments and being involved in the life of the parish, it should begin to show in how we treat one another.
Does it? Have we noticed any new growth in our soul during this Lenten season in how we treat others? We only have three weeks left until Easter. How are we doing? Hopefully we have made some progress in being kinder to others and giving those around us a little more care and attention, because of the graces we are receiving through the increase in our prayer life.
