The Time For Conversion Is Now!

(Homily for the 3^rd Sunday of Lent Yr. C)

          The three readings of this day present the different traits or better qualities of the Christian God. In the Gospel, St. Luke presents a merciful God, who desires ardently the conversion of sinners, he patiently waits for our conversion, before he intervenes with his justice (tzedakah). In the first reading, God appeared like a fire that burns but never consumes, and God presents Himself as: “I am who I am”, but prior to this, we remember Moses who abandoned everything in order to answer the call of the Lord, thereby to go to Egypt for the liberation of his people. And in the second reading, St. Paul presents God as a provident God. Therein we are presented with the history of the people of Israel, and thus, to reawaken our own spiritual consciousness that even when we decide to follow the Lord, we are not immune to temptation.

          The single thread that runs through the readings of this Sunday is indicated by the name of God as revealed to Moses: “I am who am”. As such, He is not an impersonal reality, rather he intervenes powerfully in human history. Indeed, at the heart of this message is the manifestation of the saving act of God in Christ, who sees the affliction of his people and “comes down”, he intervenes and delivers his people from the slavery of sin, from the historical Egypt and ‘our own Egypt’. Drawing the issue further, at the heart of today’s readings is God’s desire to bring his people back to freedom (first reading), his desire for us to be converted to Him (Gospel), and His invitation to be conscious of the fact that our spiritual journey is not a one-time conquest: “let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (second reading).

          The first reading (Ex. 3:1-8a.13-15) introduces a fresh theme for our reflection today, it talks about God’s revelation and the revealing of his identity. As if, the first reading is giving us reasons on why we have to repent. We are to be converted because God is not man, He is a God for his people, He is a personal God, who loves us individually and enters into relationship with us. And as a response to his presence and love we are called to conversion. In the encounter between Moses and God, we see the invitation to Moses: “Put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground” (Ex. 3:5), this therefore entails that we have to remove anything that do not allow us to approach God. We must put off sandals of distraction and sin, in order to behold God!

          In the passage proper, we heard about the extraordinary divine revelation that Moses had through the famous vision of the burning bush that was not consumed by fire. God is the fire that burns but does not consume. In the old mentality, fire is a symbol of power and divine force. In the Old Testament it is also the symbol of the divine presence. God is eternal, that is why the fire of his presence and power cannot be consumed. God revealed himself as a faithful God, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that is a God that maintains his promises. He revealed himself as a liberator of his people. He liberated them out of his spontaneous and gratuitous initiative. God says: “I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them” (vv.7-8). In the first and the second readings we are reminded of the liberating work of God, and that should stimulate us for conversion. Moreover, later God confers on Moses the responsibility to lead the people to freedom and He assures him of complete success in his mission, revealing His name: “I am, who I am” (v.14). The name “I am who I am” means a God that is present, He is not an absent God. Indeed, the great novelty of this revelation was not necessarily the name, but rather the revelation of the significance of the name. The verb “to be” is intended in the sense of being present, of being there, but not in the sense of an abstract or absolute being, but in the sense of a relational being. He is God for his people, little wonder, the Messiah will be called Immanuel: God with us (cf. Is.7:14; Mt. 1:23). If you draw the significant of the name further it not only means “I am” but “I am for you”. Yahweh is the Being that is for man. On the other hand, in revealing himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, more interestingly God reveals himself as a personal God. And because he is a personal God, he calls us individually to conversion.

            In today’s Gospel (Lk. 13:1-9), Jesus taking inspiration from the two incidents (the murder of some Galileans and the construction accident), taught his listeners a great lesson. The first incident has to do with the killing of some Galileans whose blood mixed with the sacrifice in the temple (by Pilate’s soldiers). The second is about the eighteen persons from Jerusalem who died when the tower of Siloam collapsed. However, at that time, it was a widespread opinion that prosperity and well-being are signs of recompense for a good and honest life. On the other hand, sickness and calamity are signs of punishment for sins. Even in our present world, there is this common mentality. If an evil, sickness or calamity befalls someone, people tend to trace the cause to their misconduct. So also, sometimes, when things are not moving according to one’s expectations, you see questions like: “what have I done to deserve this?” Why me?”.

            Jesus is out to correct this impression and mentality, and in doing this he tries to appeal to their consciences and to reawaken in them the consciousness of how erroneous this conception is. Therefore, he asked: “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus? Or those eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No” (vv. 2-5). Jesus negates that expressly. There is no relation of cause and effect between sin and misfortune, between personal sin and sickness. Jesus never taught that on this earth the wicked will be punished, while good people will receive their premium. Rather, premium and recompense are promised for the next life; as such the punishment for those who are obstinate in evil is for the world beyond, little wonder he warned: “No, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (vv.3.5).

          Jesus discarded that erroneous conception, and maintains that what is important is our change of heart and mind, mainly our conversion. He vehemently affirmed, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (cf.vv. 3 &5). This phrase is the hit track of this passage. It reveals God both as a just and a merciful God. He is a God of second chance, these words are equally addressed to us today, “unless you repent”, God is continually calling us for repentance, for a change of mind and heart. For this, St. Paul admonished the Romans thus: “Do not model your behavior on the contemporary world, but let the renewing of your minds transform you, so that you may discern for yourselves what is the will of God” (Rm. 12:1). And indeed, this divine benevolence orchestrated through his merciful love, cannot but prompt in us an attitude of praise and thanksgiving to God, little wonder the Psalmist in the responsorial psalm blesses God thus: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all within me, his holy name…and never forget all his benefits” (Ps. 103:1-2). He calls us not only to praise God, but also to the remembrance of all his benefits, Yahweh’s faithfulness and the human infidelity; this aspect of remembrance is a fundamental attitude of every pious Jew: “Be careful not to forget Yahweh your God, by neglecting his commandments” (Deut. 8:11); “Remember; never forget” (Deut. 9:7).

            Conversion per se comports a firm decision and a continuous renewal to liberate oneself from sin, desirous of putting into practice the words of Jesus. Jesus’s invitation to conversion is not to be taken for granted, it is not to be procrastinated ad infinitum. It calls for personal decision, and the time for that is here and now. The two incidents we heard, took place unexpectedly, that is way, we don’t have to waste time, and we have to profit from the present moment of grace. Furthermore, with the parable of the fruitless fig tree (vv. 6-9) Jesus wanted to call our attention to two possible ways of human thinking: First, of those who think, ‘already it is too late for me to change my life’, ‘God is tired of me’, or ‘God cannot  forgive all my sins’. Second, of those who reason, ‘God is too patient’, ‘there is always time for conversion’. But the real position is that God is patient, his patience cannot be programmed, and the possibility for conversion is always open. At this point, we cannot but remember the spiritual refrain of Pope Francis: “God never gets tired of forgiving us”. The brief parable on the fig tree reinforces Jesus’ demand of repentance, and thus proffers a link with the second reading, for as St. Paul opined: “Let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall”. As such, to avoid a false sense of spiritual security.

           In the second reading (1Cor. 10:1-6.10-12), St. Paul presents an urgent and stimulating motive for that conversion. In the history of the chosen people God showed a particular attention and preference. In their favor, so many times he intervened with extraordinary signs. St. Paul observed, that even though “our fathers were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea and all ate the same supernatural food and all drank the supernatural drink…Nevertheless, with most of them, God was not pleased”. St. Paul continued, “Now these things are warnings for us, not to desire evil as they did and were destroyed by the Destroyer”. We have to appropriate this admonition of St. Paul, because in our own experiences, in so many ways God has been blessing and showing us his love. Yet, at times his goodness and benevolence to us, do not draw us closer to him. Besides, it behooves us to understand that all the blessings he has lavished upon us, require a good dose of responsibility, on our side, and as such the duty to be converted to him. In all, he teaches us that our salvation is a fruit of God’s gratuitous act, but this does not exclude the human cooperation to the divine grace. There should be no presumption of certainty: “Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall”.

          May God help us to understand the urgency of conversion! May His word and presence propel us for an authentic conversion, and may He continue to liberate us from all that entangle us to sin! Amen!! Happy Sunday To you All!!!

(Fr. Vitus M. C. Unegbu, SC)