Conversion is both urgent and possible

Homily for 3^rd Sunday of Lent Year C 2016

Exodus 3:1-8a,13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6,1-12; Luke 13:1-9

Introduction

Do you remember after 9/11, when some people, especially some evangelical preachers, blamed that terrorist tragedy on the sinfulness of America?  And then after Katrina, when some people also blamed that natural catastrophe on the decadence of New Orleans!

Such thinking, that makes an automatic connection between sin and suffering also existed at the time of Jesus.  And Jesus, then and now strongly rejected it.

Scripture and Theology

For example, in the first part of today's gospel, Jesus refers to two tragedies.

1.    The first was the atrocious massacre of some worshippers by Pilate, when as we heard, Pilate mingled their blood with that of their sacrifices.

2.    The second tragedy was a construction accident at Siloam, where a tower fell and killed eighteen people.

We can think of the first incident as being like the kind of suffering we experience at the hands of others: terrorists, criminals, gun-toting students.  We can think of the second incident as being like the suffering that occurs by accident or by natural phenomena, like hurricanes or the recent tornadoes.

Regardless of their cause, Jesus asks his listeners, if the victims of these tragedies were greater sinners than everybody else?  And of course his answer is an emphatic "No."  He rejects a one-to-one link between sin and suffering.  Yes, some suffering is our own doing, like diseases that result from not taking care of ourselves.  But not all the suffering in the world is caused by personal sin.

The reason Jesus rejects this automatic link between sin and suffering is because it creates complacency in people who are doing well.  They think, "I am okay, I don't have to do anything."  To them, both then and now, Jesus says: "I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” 

By "perish" Jesus is not merely talking about physical death; he is talking about eternal death, separation from God forever and ever.  In other words, he reminds the Jews and us, that the punishment for sin is not always given here on earth, but will certainly be given after death.  And so, since we don't know when we are going to die, just like those victims of Pilate and the construction accident, we must repent. And if any tragedy befalls us, we will die physically, but we shall not perish eternally, for we shall be found in a state of grace.

Alfred Nobel, the man who instituted and endowed the Nobel Prizes, was a Swedish chemist who made his fortune by inventing powerful explosives and licensing the formula to governments to make weapons.  One day Alfred's brother died.  By accident, the newspaper printed the obituary of Alfred instead of that of his deceased brother.  It described him as the inventor of dynamite who made a fortune by enabling armies to achieve new levels of mass destruction.

When Nobel read his own obituary, he got a glimpse of how he would be remembered: as a merchant of death and destruction.   That's when he decided to change, convert, turn around.  He took his fortune and used it to establish awards for accomplishments contributing to life rather than death, awards which we know today as the Nobel prizes.  He got a second chance, to repent.

If Nobel's example and the tragic examples Jesus uses serve as negative incentives against complacency, the parable of the fig tree should be a positive incentive that gives our repentance hope. The fig tree is a special tree in Palestine. Every family tries to raise one, showering care and their limited supply of water on it and expecting to harvest some figs after three years and every year after. 

That is why the master is tired of a tree that is not giving fruit, and wants it cut down.  But the gardener pleads for the plant and asks for one more year, to tend it a little more, so that it might produce fruit.  The gardener believes that change is possible; given some more nurturing, the tree will produce fruit.

In this parable, God the Father is the tree owner and he has just about had it with humanity.  Jesus is the gardener, pleading with the Master to allow him try his hand one more time at converting stubborn humanity with his life-giving message.  But now, even the gardener, Jesus, is getting really frustrated especially with the religious leaders who have refused to listen to his message of salvation and who are actively persecuting him.  That is why in very stern words Jesus says to them: “I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish . . . .”

Christian Life

But like a bitter pill, these stern words bear a message of hope for us.  They tell us that repentance is possible, even for the worst of sinners.

You have heard the proverb, "a leopard cannot change its spots."  While  that might be true for leopards, for us Christians, Jesus teaches that we can change our spots.  Through the mouth of Isaiah, the Lord says: "Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, they may become white as wool" (Is. 1:18).  We must not give up on others and especially not on ourselves.  We must not resign ourselves to our sinful condition, but must always harbour the hope that change is possible.

But conversion, is not always easy.  Thankfully, from the parable of the fig tree, we see three things that can help: time, other people and God.

Change needs some time and work.  That is why the gardener asks for one more year, four seasons for nurturing the tree.  For us Lent can be such a time, when through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we work on our addictions and sinful habits.  Some sinful habits built over time, will also take time to work on; and we should not be discouraged if change is not instant but gradual.

And as much as we need time to change, we also need the help of others.  On its own the fig tree was unable to change; only with the help of gardener, watering it, fertilizing it, would it begin producing some fruit.  This gardener is like the accountability partner or sponsor in many 12-step programs. For us, our gardener could be a spouse, a parent, a teacher, a friend, a co-worker to point out our sins and help us avoid them.  And the most important gardener that the Lord left for us is the priest, who through the sacrament of confession, helps us with his counsel and advice as we walk away from sin towards God.

But perhaps the most important person we need in our journey of conversion is God himself.  Sin has such a powerful hold on us, that we need a powerful ally.  That is why regular prayer is such an important tool if we want to resist the Evil One, turn away from his allures and turn towards God.  God's help comes best from the sacrament of confession, where the priest says to us: "I absolve you from your sins, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Conclusion

This message of repentance, both its urgency and how to go about it, has been taught by the Church for the past two thousand years.  But Pope Francis, in a particular way, has brought it to the forefront, reminding us especially during this Jubilee Year, that if only we turn to God, his mercy is there for the taking.

Let me suggest that we allow Pope Francis to be our gardener, working on us this year, to help us repent and produce some fruit.  In particular, I would like to recommend his book, entitled, "The Name of God is Mercy."  This book is wonderful Lenten reading for all us, but also a wonderful gift for someone else, who like us wishes to repent, but needs a little nudge, a little help.  For when Moses asked God for his name, so he might tell the Israelites who was liberating them from slavery, God said: "I am who I am."  When Pope Francis asked God the same question, the answer he heard was: "The Name of our God is mercy."