I hope you’re all enjoying the first taste of spring; yesterday was such a beautiful day that helped to distract us from the devastating war in Ukraine that continues to capture our attention as the people caught in the crosshairs call for our prayers and support. Unfortunately, this is only the latest of calamities that we have encountered over the past few years, isn’t it? The coronavirus has claimed over 6 million lives worldwide, and epic floods, relentless forest fires, tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes here and around the world fill the news. What catastrophes and tragedies we’re encountering, natural and manmade! It’s often hard to turn on the news; all we hear about is these terrible events.
Of course, an honest review of world history will reveal that this is nothing new. We live in an ever-changing natural world. Floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes are just part of nature. And, humankind is often very cruel. In the past more than now, people thought that tragedies struck those who were guilty of living sinful lives. They thought that sickness or death or some personal calamity was the result of one’s sins. In today’s Gospel, Jesus relates two calamities of his time and asks, “Do you think that because these Galileans or inhabitants of Jerusalem suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans or anyone else living in Jerusalem?” His answer is a definitive “By no means!” As we see over and over again, misfortune strikes the good and the bad alike.
The fact is that life is fragile and none of us has assurance about the length of our days. When the end comes, we need to be prepared. We may want a “do-over” but that’s not possible. But, we can repent of our mistakes and sins now and make a course-correction now going forward as we prepare.
We have come to the middle of Lent. Like every Lent, we are called to look over our lives and see where we have gone off the track, sinned, failed in some way – against God and our neighbor – and decide what course-correction we need to make to be prepared for the inevitable end of our lives.
Jesus told the story of the slain Galileans and the people crushed by the Tower of Siloam to alert people to their need to be prepared at all times. And then, He followed up with the parable of the fig tree. Now notice, the fig tree in question had done nothing evil, it just hadn’t done what it was supposed to – that is, bear fruit. The owner had been patient, but the tree remained barren. Another intervened on behalf of the tree: “Leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future.”
We are that tree, and we should be happy for the reprieve. We have another opportunity to bear the fruit that is expected of us. We also have help. As I’m sure you realize, the one doing the cultivating and nourishing is none other than Jesus himself. How fortunate we are. We must respond fully, without delay. The gracious opportunity is ours now but we don’t know how long it will still be there for us.
And, to be assured of God’s loving care for us, we need only to listen to the first reading from the Book of Exodus, where we find God’s concern for the suffering people of Israel. During their exile in Egypt, they have forgotten about the God of their forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Now, God comes to them and will lead them into the Promised Land. For their part, the people must turn back to God and, once again, be faithful to his commands.
And just as in the Gospel account, there is a plant involved – this time a mysterious bush that is on fire but not being consumed. Both of these images – the burning bush and the fig tree – remind us that God reveals himself to us in ways we can see and hear, if only we have eyes to see and ears to hear. That means we need to spend time in prayer, approach God and listen to his word that comes to us as it did to Moses, sometimes in mysterious ways but often in just the everyday events of our lives.
As we continue this Lent, let us take stock of how well we have lived up to our call from God, the source of our being. We know that none of us is standing secure before God, as we hear St. Paul admonish us in today’s second reading. This is the time to make a course correction, to repent of having gone astray and respond to the cultivation and nourishment provided by the divine Gardner so that we can bear fruit in building up the kingdom of God in our midst. Then, we will be prepared to celebrate Easter this year and, more important, to be with our Lord forever in heaven – that land truly flowing with milk and honey.