Third Sunday of Lent

Homily by

Fr. Kurt

"Repent, says the Lord; the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17

Dear brothers and sisters,

Have you ever known someone so patient that they nearly drove you crazy? Someone whose quiet endurance is often mistaken for weakness or indecision? In many ways, it seems that Jesus is drawn to such people. And in the Gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent we find ourselves in the middle of a tense and troubling situation.

People were coming to Jesus with some very disturbing news, that had shaken them deeply. Pilate had carried out violent executions of innocent people. Some Galileans were murdered, their blood mixed with that of their sacrifices. For devout Jews, this was a terrible sacrilege. What a disgrace! Beneath their horror lies an unspoken question: Did these people somehow deserve such a tragic end?

Jesus firmly rejects this idea.

And to make his point, he adds another example: a tower that collapsed, killing eighteen people. A tragic senseless accident, leaving those who witnessed it confused and full of questions. Today, we are invited to take these stories and see the parallels in our own lives. Sudden loss. Unexpected tragedy. The fragility of human life.

My Life Is Finite

After hearing such news, have you ever thought:

“What if that happend to me?” “What if my life suddenly ended?”

Most of us push those thoughts aside. “Tomorrow will be another day”, we tell ourselves.

St. Ignatius of Loyola is known for a practice called the “Daily Examen.” It’s a kind of like a spiritual check-in: Reviewing the day with gratitude, noticing where God was present and seeking growth and direction. One powerful part of the Examen invites us to imagine, in God’s presence, that our life is short. And in that awareness, to ask: What do I still need to let go of? Perhaps some of us have done something like this without even realizing it. It’s a way of becoming more aware of how precious, and how serious, life truly is. What truly matters to me? What have I been treating as important, but really isn’t? What is still unfinished in me, waiting to be brought to life?

And right in the middle of such reflection, Jesus calle us to reorient our lives. He calls us to let go of whatever hurts us or others, to seek what gives us hope and healing, what is life-giving.

God’s Patience Makes Renewal Possible

In this space of uncertainty and fragility, Jesus tells a parable:

A landowner wants to cut down a fig tree that hasn’t produced fruit. He’s ready to give up on it. But the gardener steps in. He asks for more time. He knows growth takes patience. He’s willing to dig around it, fertilize it, nurture it, and to hope. Anyone who works the land, any gardener knows: you don’t always see results right away. You have to wait. You have to believe. The gardener rolls up his sleeves and gets to work.

It’s like parents who never stop hoping for their children, always keeping the door open no matter how difficult things get.
It’s like life partners who, despite deep pain and old wounds, refuse to give up on each other. Through their struggle, they may even discover a deeper love.
It’s like the Church, confronted with the questions and challenges of our time, choosing not to retreat but to work the soil to break new groun), believing that even now, new fruit can grow.

Yes, cutting down the tree is quicker. But in doing so, we may miss out on the sweetest fruit, if only we had given it another chance.

The gardener knows this.

And God knows it too.

He sees our shortcomings and our brokenness. And yet, he never gives up. This is how he revealed himself to Moses: as the Living One. Always present, always faithful. Through Jesus Christ, God walks with us in very human ways, through every high and low, every joys and heartache.

Friends, may this image of the gardener take root in our hearts. May it remind us of God’s patience, his enduring love, his tireless care.

Let us become people of compassion. Let us practice patience. And let us be filled with hope, God’s own hope that never runs dry.

Because it is God’s patience that makes renewal possible.

Even in us. Especially in us.

Praise be to Jesus Christ. Amen<