First Reading: Exodus 3:1-8A, 13-15
Reflection:
This Sunday’s first reading recounts the famous encounter of Moses with the Lord at the burning bush. Moses had grown up in Egypt, being raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. But Moses had to leave Egypt at the age of 40 because he killed an Egyptian. He fled to the land of Midian where he spent another 40 years in hiding. During this time he married and had two children. Then, God called him on the mission that he was born to fulfill. Moses was sent by God back to Egypt to lead the Israelite people out of slavery and to the Promised Land. Moses’ encounter revealed much about God. Moses needed to approach the manifestation of God in the bush with the utmost reverence because God is holy, which means set apart. Moses was “afraid to look at God” because of his own sinfulness, for sin separates us from God. The Lord also evidenced here His faithfulness to His people, even though they had not been faithful to Him. He was fulfilling His promises to Abraham (that we heard about last week) by rescuing the Israelites from slavery and promising to bring them into the land promised to Abraham for his descendants. Furthermore, God revealed His unique name to Moses. When Moses asked for His name, God said, “I am who am.” In Hebrew, this is the word Yahweh. God revealed that He is not one being among many, but He is existence itself. God is the very definition of being. He always has been, always is, and always will be. He is the source of all things. He is the one and only true God. That reality was revealed to Moses in God calling Him to the mission of leading the Israelites out of slavery and it remains just as true today, for God never changes.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12
Reflection:
In this passage, the Apostle Paul compared the Christian life with the experience of the Israelites at the time of the Exodus. The Israelites were set free from Egyptian slavery under the leadership of Moses and by the power of God. Their definitive freedom came when they crossed the Red Sea and the Egyptians were overcome by the sea. St. Paul compared this with baptism. At our baptism, we are set free from slavery to sin. But, then, the journey continues. The Israelites may have been out of Egypt and free from slavery but they still continuously struggled with temptation to fall back into the practices they knew in Egypt that were contrary to God’s laws. They were out of Egypt, but Egypt wasn’t out of them. Similarly, after our baptisms we still struggle with temptation to fall back into sin and need to seek God’s forgiveness again and again. The time in the wilderness for the Israelites, therefore, foreshadows the life of the Christian from the time of baptism until death. During this time, we are nourished by “spiritual food” and “spiritual drink.” For the Israelites, this was the manna and water that God provided for them. For us, this is the Eucharist. Our journey is headed toward the true Promised Land, which is Heaven.
Gospel Reading: Luke 13:1-9
Reflection:
In this Sunday’s gospel reading, Jesus used current events that included the violent deaths suffered by certain Galileans at the hands of Pilate and victims of the falling of the tower of Siloam as a teaching moment. His point was that we never know when death may come knocking on our door, so we must be prepared! How do we prepare? Repent! The Bible teaches us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death” (that is, eternal death in hell) (Romans 6:23). But that second verse goes on to say, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God offers us forgiveness of our sins through Jesus. But in order to receive that gift, we must repent of our sins before the Lord. And we should not put off repenting because then it might be too late. In Jesus’ parable of the fig tree, the lesson is about the lack of repentance of the Israelites, who are represented by the fig tree. They had been given time to repent of their sinful ways and bear good fruit through accepting Jesus as the Messiah. But the majority of them (not all) remained in their hard-hearted rebellion against God, rejecting the message of Jesus. Their time was running short, but God was patient and generous by giving them more time. Still, the lesson is that we never know when our time is up, so we should repent now and turn to the Lord so we can bear good fruit in our lives.
Application:
• The Christian life is similar to the wandering of the Israelites in the wilderness. After our baptism, which sets us free from sin, we still struggle with sin and are tempted to fall back into living according to our sinful nature. Yet, God will provide for us during the entire journey, if we trust Him, and He will lead us to Heaven, which is the Promised Land. In what ways do you need to work on better trusting God? What sins do you need to resist falling back into? And how could you be more faithful to God?
• Lent is the perfect time to take the opportunity to turn to God in repentance, so you can bear good fruit in your life. You’re invited to do so by visiting the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Lent.
