I remember the feeling quite well. It was about this time two years ago, I was still studying at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, preparing with my classmates for the last few months of studying, and then making our triumphant exit as graduates of that esteemed institution. We were thrilled, we had all sorts of celebrations planned, and all sorts of time to spend together as colleagues and classmates…
…but there was a problem. March 17th rolled around, and due to the abundance of caution they wanted to take, the entire seminary was sent home- and those of us who were preparing to be ordained priests were told to take our things with us- because we would never return.
No more celebrations, no expected outings as a class, no graduation party… we had all of these plans. However, time, for all intensive purposes, had run out.
Time is an ever present element in our lives. We busy ourselves day in and day out going from this to that, and I daresay most of us are probably wishing that there were more hours in the day. We’ve got so much to do and so much to get done…
However, when it comes to your spiritual life- how are you doing? Are you taking time to get what needs to be done? Praying, reading scripture, reflecting? Are you making these things a priority? As we continue and even begin to near the halfway point of Lent- we are likely aware that time is passing- are we putting it to good use?
Today, I actually want to start with the Gospel, and then work our way backwards, and it will make sense in just a few minutes. The Gospel of Luke begins with tragedy- there are people and they have witnessed what Pilate has been doing- senselessly killing people at prayer. Immediately, in the minds of the people, though they might not have consciously thought it, was that the Galileans must have done something wrong. In their minds, God always responds to wrongdoing by violence and by punishment. Jesus is aware of their thinking, and He starts to challenge them in this! He asks the question- do you think these Galileans were greater sinners than the others? Absolutely not!” Jesus takes it even further, “How about the eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them- were they more guilty than anyone else? Absolutely not!” Jesus wants it to be clear that punishment for sin does not occur in this way- at least not necessarily.
He moves on to make a second point, and it is rather interesting on the heels of the last: “If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” This seems like a glaring contradiction- but there needs to be the understanding- it isn’t perishing in this life that we should be afraid of, but rather perishing in the next life. That is what Jesus is saying. There is this need to repent, because there is a death that can be suffered because of sin- but it is far worse than a physical death!
Let’s back up for a minute and go to Saint Paul and His first letter to the Corinthians. It is another note of shrill warning. He speaks to the Corinthians- not to be unaware. He begins to build his case, piece by piece. He speaks about the Israelite people- how they were under the cloud, they passed through the sea, and all of them were baptized, they ate spiritual food, drank from a spiritual rock- and that rock was Christ. Yet, something goes horribly wrong- because they are all struck down in the desert. What exactly is happening here? What terrible misfortune befell them? Well, it’s a simple, and rather sad reality: though they lived in the midst of many signs and wonders, there was one key problem- they became too familiar with them. They started to dismiss all of these signs and wonders, so much so that they not only lived in spite of them, but were condemned- because they chose to live as a people not blessed by God’s presence- and His signs and wonders. Saint Paul continues to lay this out- “These things happened as examples for us- so that we will not desire evil things as they did. The line that truly lays out the entirety of this scripture: “Whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.” What does this mean? Anyone who feels that they’ve got it all together should be paying attention- lest it cost them dearly- and it take away their proximity to Christ in the midst of everything else.
Finally, we arrive back at the first reading, and it is taken from the book of Exodus. We are told that Moses is out tending the flock of his father-in-law, and eventually an angel appears to him in fire flaming out of a bush. Moses approaches, then the angel speaks to him. Notice the message that the angel gives: it isn’t condemnation. It isn’t harsh. It doesn’t concern punishment. Rather, it speaks of a tender Father: “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers- I know well what they are suffering. Therefore, I have come down to rescue them!” Isn’t this truly beautiful and fantastic? Not only has God seen what has happened to His people, but He is going to do something about it. Further, God gives the people His name- I AM. The Lord- the God of your fathers. He knows that His people are going to want to know who is sending Moses, and so He gives Moses His identity to relay to the people who is speaking through Him.
Notice, however, the tone. While Jesus begins warning about sin, about the need for repentance, and even Saint Paul is warning those who think they stand upright to be aware, there is all of a sudden a reminder that God is so tender and kind to His people! He hears them in their affliction, comforts them in their pain, and even rescues them from oppression. Even in the Gospel- did you notice that parable? He then moves into a parable- there is a fig tree- and the owner finds no figs on it. He tells the gardener to cut it down- and the gardener begs for another year to cultivate and to fertilize it- He wants to give it care, and some more time to produce and bear fruit! God is indeed very merciful!
What is this to mean for all of us? Perhaps… it is a simple reminder: time is running out! Now is the time to repent and return to God!
Now, when I say that, this shouldn’t get us all in a panic, or cause anxiety. We rather need to understand who God is, first. We need to see the God of our Fathers and who He is. He introduces Himself to us, and shows us so much about who He is, about who His Son is, and how He comes to set us free, because He is a God who is our Father, and loves as a father! He knows our pains and our afflictions. He knows how we suffer. Our God knows us better than we really know ourselves! That is how close He wants to be to us.
Yet, there is a reality that keeps us from God- and that reality is sin. Sin, at its root, is when we choose against God, and, at least for a minute, we may think that we are better, or we at least know better at that moment. That is the heart of the first challenge: we should remember during this season- we worship and love a God who loves us- and sent His Son to save us from our captors- from our vices and from our weaknesses. Yet, there is something else that flows from that: Saint Paul reminds us that we need to be aware of: we should not fool ourselves into thinking we stand in righteousness, when we all still have spiritual growth that needs to happen. It isn’t a bad thing when we are honest with ourselves, as long as it motivates change- or it helps us to see what is right here in our midst! What is truly tragic, though, is if we ignore how much our God reaches out to us in the midst of our lives.
The final point that we encounter today is this: Jesus wants us to take the time to repent, because He does not wish us to perish in our sin or in our failures. It may not be any time soon, but there will come a day where each of us have to account for ourselves before God, and tell what we did- good or bad. This isn’t to scare us back into a forced relationship with God, but to allow us to see: our God loves us so tremendously and He wants to free us from everything that holds us back. That does come at a cost, though- we should repent of our sins! We need to trust God and His mercy!
My brothers and sisters, much like my time in the seminary, only a couple of years ago- time is always running out, and it may happen faster than we expect. Yet, we should recognize each moment as a moment of opportunity. We are given these days to return to God, to come to the sacraments, and to experience the fruit of our relationship with God. We have to take that initiative, though! Do we trust Him enough to go to confession? Do we trust Him enough to take time to turn off the TV and pick up some scriptures? Perhaps put down the smart phone and spend more time with family. Each and every moment we have in this life is precious, and each offer us an opportunity to repent, to convert, but also to draw near to God, to Christ, and to our neighbor.
Jesus is giving us an opportunity: we have been given more time to go and bear fruit. Are each of us willing to repent, and to experience that cultivation and fertilizer? Are you and I willing to take these moments to repent, and to grow closer to God? The kingdom of heaven is truly at hand!
