3rd Sunday of Lent(Cycle C, Year I)

Community Word:God’s unconditional love brings salvation in Christ Jesus.

Theme:We respond to God’s unconditional love when we seek Him with reverence and humility.

Promise:“He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion.”(Ps 103:4)

Reflection:
Mindful of His covenant with Abraham (Ex 2:24), God came down and used Moses to rescue His people from Egyptian slavery. And faithful to the same covenant, He sent Jesus to redeem all mankind from the destruction of sin and death. This event in the Old Testament was written down in Scriptures as a prelude and foreshadowing of our baptism of water, our liberation from sin and our feeding of spiritual food and drink.

The events in the Exodus were also given as a warning, that being children of Abraham is no guarantee that we will reach the promised land of our salvation. St. Paul cautioned the people of Corinth that we could perish, not because God will punish us as great sinners, but because, like the Israelites in the wilderness, we stumble in our evil desires, fall into grumbling, and forget all the benefits that the Lord has given us.Jesus calls us everyday to repentance, not merely a one-time change of heart, but an ongoing transformation of our life. We are called to live the life that we recite or sing in Psalm 103, blessing God’s holy name and giving Him thanks for His kindness and mercy.

In the gospel, Jesus narrates the parable of the fig tree, a familiar symbol for Israel. Just as the fig tree is given one last season to produce its fruit before being cut down if it remains barren, so too is Jesus giving Israel one final opportunity to bear good fruit as evidence of its repentance (cf. Lk 3:8).

Lent is another chance for us to turn around our life. It is a season of reprieve, a grace period when we let the “gardener,” Jesus Christ, cultivate our hearts, uprooting what chokes the divine life in us, strengthening us to bear fruit that will last to eternity. Perhaps, Jesus has come to us many times looking for the fruit of good works and found none. Perhaps, He has continued to bestow favors and blessings upon us and has waited for us to respond with His grace by doing acts of penance and expiation. Jesus is so patient with us waiting for us to be productive and bear good fruit.

In the parable, the gardener proposed to cultivate the soil around the fig tree and hoped that it will bear fruit in the future. In like manner, we are created to increase love in the world, love of God and love of neighbor. Without love, we are fruitless. Pope Gregory the Great says, “The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.”Bearing fruit of good works consistently is responding to God’s unconditional love, and it will not be possible without His grace when we seek His help in humility and reverence in prayer. St. John Vianney tells us, “Prayer is to our soul what rain is to the soil. Fertilize the soil ever so richly, it will remain barren unless fed by frequent rains.”Without prayer nothing good is done. God’s work is accomplished when we fall on our knees, clasp our hands, and lift our voices to God in humble and reverential supplication and thanksgiving.

We should always work for Jesus and with Jesus. If we stray away from Him, we will get lost and our efforts will not bear fruit with no value in eternity. Without God, our spiritual life will be dry and barren. As long as we are with Jesus, everything will be good work and holy, and all our actions will gain merit for us in Heaven. This is His promise for us this week, “He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion,” (Ps 103:4).

Prayer:
Lord, let my heart and mind seek Your holy presence daily through prayer and let my love for You and my love for others continue to grow always. Continue to grant me the grace to bear fruit of good works, as I persevere in loving service to You and the community. Amen

Reflection Guide Questions:
1.How I do I know that God is present in my life everyday?
2.Am I growing in the love of God and love for others? What concrete actions must I do to show this?
3.Examine your life if you are bearing the fruit of good works. Are you progressing in your effort to be fruitful?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
March 24, 2019 (Sun)-Ex 3:1-8,13-15/Ps 103:1-4,6,7,8,11/1Cor 10:1-6,10-12/Lk 13:1-9
March 25, 2019 (Mon)-Is 7:10-14/Ps 40:7-11/Heb 10:4-10/Lk 1:26-38
March 26, 2019 (Tue)-Dn 3:25, 34-43/Ps 25:4-9/Mt 18:21-35
March 27, 2019 (Wed)- DT 4:1, 5-9/Ps 147:12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20/Mt 5:17-19
March 28, 2019 (Thu)-Jer 7:23-28/Ps 95:1, 2, 6-9/Lk 11:14-23
March 29,2019 (Fri)-Hos 14:2-10/Ps 81:6-11, 14, 17/Mk 12:28-34
March 30, 2019 (Sat) – Hos 6:1-6/Ps 51:3, 4, 18-21/Lk 18:9-14

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”