Third Sunday of Lent

March 7, 2010

Vivid biblical scenes are put before us in today’s liturgy. We begin with Moses standing before God in the form of a burning, unconsumed bush inviting him to bring word to the Hebrews that the God of his religious tradition is with him and hears the suffering cries of the people. The God of the Living is with them. Paul then warns us against the sin of presumption by explaining that we have historical lesson to teach us about our appropriate dependence upon God. Jesus uses two illustrations of calamities that fell upon people as a way of unlinking their feelings of deserved punishment with the source of sin in light of accidents and natural disasters. God does not punish people for their wrongdoings by sending bad events to happen to them. Accidents are merely accidents.

But we have to be patient with the work of God and do our part- not doing more or any less. Realizing what we are called to do and doing it best gives great satisfaction. As we look at the image of the parable of the fig tree, we see that our efforts can be valuable even when it does not appear that way to us. Though it appears that the fig tree is barren and useless, we are to give it that extra bit of care and nourishment because it may bear fruit in the future. Stay the course a little longer. Persevere. We are all too quick to give up on our projects because they seem futile and pointless. We can never know what is happening below the surface until some fruit or new life arises.

Today’s message reminds me of Oscar Romero’s poem when he writes: “We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.” It is always helpful for us to remember that the work or ministry we are doing is first and foremost a mission from God. It is God’s project in which we are asked to do our part, however big or small a role it may be. Do it well and fully. Our God who is always with us will be there working alongside us.

Quote for the Week

From the Evening prayer at St. Joseph’s Abbey, Spencer, Massachusetts:

“Lord Jesus Christ, grant us your peace, and when the trials of earth shall cease, grant us the morning light of grace, the radiant splendor of your face.”

Themes for this Week’s Masses

First Reading: We get many Old Testament readings designed to match the Gospel themes but do not tell a continuous story in the customary fashion. We start this week with 2 Kings and the story of Namaan, the Syrian leper, who was cleansed by the prophet Elisha rather than the many Israelite lepers. God works outside our boundaries. Then we turn to Daniel’s dreams as he asks the Lord to receive him and his associates with humble hearts. In Deuteronomy the people are exhorted to keep the commandments as a way of completing God’s work, but Jeremiah reminds us that the people will seldom listen to God’s voice. Hosea reminds us that God does not want our sacrifices, but our love.

Gospel: Jesus shows that he mirrors the miracles of the prophets Elijah and Elisha in healing people, except that his mission is broader than focusing only on the Jews. He describes the type of behavior needed for discipleship: it means deeply forgiving one’s brother and sister and keeping and preaching about the commandments. As he talks about the work of his disciples, he lets people decide whether they want to be a part of it. He tells them that whoever is not with him is against him, that the love of God is the most important action in the world, and that inclusion in the kingdom may be surprising as a dreaded tax collector makes it into the kingdom while a Pharisee does not.

Saints of the Week

Monday: John of God is a major saint to the Spanish for his tireless work with the neediest people of Granada. He drew others to his type of ministry as he cared for sick and the poor in remarkable ways. His order has been entrusted to the medical and dental care of the Bishop of Rome

Tuesday: Frances of Rome is an Italian saint who petitioned her wealthy parents to become a nun; instead they arranged a marriage for her that turned out to be happy. During a plague, she lost two of her six children. This sensitized her to the plight of the sick and the needy. She began a confraternity to assist the poor.

This Week in Jesuit History

• Mar 7, 1581. The Fifth General Congregation of the Society bound the professors of the Society to adhere to the doctrine of Thomas Aquinas.
• Mar 8, 1773. At Centi, in the diocese of Bologna, Cardinal Malvezzi paid a surprise visit to the Jesuit house, demanding to inspect their accounting books.
• Mar 9, 1764. In France, all Jesuits who refused to abjure the Society were ordered by Parliament to leave the realm within a month. Out of 4,000 members only five priests, two scholastics, and eight brothers took the required oath; the others were driven into exile.
• Mar 10, 1615. The martyrdom in Glasgow, Scotland, of St John Ogilvie.
• Mar 11, 1848. In Naples, Italy, during the 1848 revolution, 114 Jesuits, after much suffering, were put into carts and driven ignominiously out of the city and the kingdom.
• Mar 12, 1622. Pope Gregory XV canonized Sts Ignatius, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila, and Philip Neri.
• Mar 13, 1568. John Segura and five companions set sail from Spain for Florida, a fertile field of martyrs. (Nine Jesuits were killed there between 1566 and 1571.)

Stations of the Cross

Catholics have a tradition of praying the Stations of the Cross, particularly on Fridays in Lent. We walk the spiritual road with Jesus through Scripture-based Stations that depict the last moments of the life of Jesus. We reflect more deeply on particular moments in Christ's Passion: at prayer in the Garden of the Gethsemane, during Peter's denial, through his trial and judgment, ending with his death and entombment. At the end of each station, we add our prayers to God asking for strength, wisdom, courage, patience, and mercy to imitate His Son as we make the journey through Lent to the great Paschal celebration.

“We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”

Chile

We pray for the people of Chile who suffer from the devastating 8.8 earthquake that hit the middle of their country. Jesuits from the Maryland province have a long-standing relationship with the Jesuits in Chile. Please continue your prayers for the people as they strive to rebuild their country. Please be generous to the local church and social service agencies that will provide needed services.

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola

Twelve Jesuits in Australia (including me) and seven in California who are at their last stage of formation (tertianship) are praying through an intense 30-day program of prayer called the Spiritual Exercises. These are a series of prayer exercises designed to bring a person deeper into his or her relationship with God. They are not only for Catholics. Retreatants move through four movements of prayer that allow them to notice the ways they may unknowingly block some aspect in their relationship with God. God works gently with a person to help him or her uncover those disordered attachments so that God can draw a person into closer friendship. It is a period of prayer that is usually full of surprises. Please pray for those of us who are making this long retreat this month.

Note:

I am now on long retreat and may not be able to send out the weekly email, but I will update my blog regularly. Access predmore.blogspot.com for weekly and daily updates or predmoresj.blogspot.com for my tertian program news.

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