THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT - 2022

LENT 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Repent, says the Lord,
for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. MT 4:17

EXODUS 3:1-8,13-15 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Moses committed murder and has run away from Egypt to escape punishment. He now has a comfortable life he has married and his father-in-law Jethro trusts him and gives him charge over his flock. He has gone into the wilderness to find pasture and has come to a mountain where he sees something mysterious - a bush is on fire but does not appear to be consumed, he draws closer to investigate. What Moses did not know was that  God's presence was in the fire and He was waiting for Moses whom He had chosen from his birth to liberate His people. 

God calls him by his name, 'Moses' and he says, 'Here I am.' You call us constantly, Beloved, and when we hear You we must respond as he and so many holy men and women did. God commands him not to come any closer and to take off his sandals because he is standing on holy ground. Then God reveals to Moses who He is and His plan for Moses to go and deliver His people. 

Moses prefigures You. God sent You into the world to deliver us from slavery and to lead us through the wilderness of our lives with a strong hand, with signs and wonders, through all our mistakes, through every detour we insist on taking, refusing to be led by You until at last, You bring us to the Promised Land, the Kingdom of God. 

When Moses was commanded not to approach too near he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. But You, my Beloved, invite us constantly to draw nearer and nearer to You. We can touch You, feel Your Presence, we are invited to eat and drink You and You draw us into intimate communion with You when we receive You in the Holy Eucharist.

Thank You, Father, for giving us the gift of Your Son - our Savior, our Redeemer, our hope of Eternal Life. We have a new Name by which all of humanity is saved. 'JESUS!'

1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-6,10-12 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

In the divine plan beginning with God's revelation of Himself to Abraham, the deliverance of His chosen people, through Moses, and after him, the prophets, judges, and kings that followed until You, the Messiah, came into the world to redeem it, it was the Jews who were to receive the inheritance promised to them but they rejected You. 

Despite everything they had witnessed, despite all the prophecies being fulfilled in You, despite all the signs that pointed to them that the hour of their deliverance had finally dawned at Your incarnation and birth, they willfully, deliberately, and coldly turned their backs on their only hope of redemption because You did not fit their preconceived ideas of the coming of their Messiah. 

Every single experience in the desert, in the wilderness, prefigured You, the Eucharist, the Sacraments, and the Church. But the desert was littered with their corpses because they grumbled, disobeyed, and were stubborn. They were impossible to teach and to lead despite all the times when God intervened to feed them, give them drink, and heal them.

Paul concludes that we are to take heed and learn from their experiences:

These things all happened as warnings for us, not to have the wicked lusts for forbidden things that they had. You must never complain: some of them did, and they were killed by the Destroyer.

Let us remember the words of Paul to the Romans and apply it to our time: The man who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall. There is redemption in no one but You, Lord.

LUKE 13:1-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We are not to condemn anyone taking into account superficial circumstances as You remind Your followers. When non-believers commit sacrilege and profane what we know and hold to be holy and sacred. They act out of ignorance and You hold us innocent of blame. What Pilate did out of spite and ignorance did not condemn the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. You assure them that this was not the case.

‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No.' Death comes to us all but what we must fear is the eternal death that follows. If we fail to repent we will perish forever. 

This parable is another reminder that You are a God of mercy and compassion. You have done all that is necessary for our salvation all we need to do is to receive all You have to give. But we need to take them for eventually as time will run out for all of us. 

There is always time until finally there isn't any.