It also is the first day of Spring when we smile and look forward to our warming weather, longer days, blooming flowers, and the baseball season. For the children and for all of us, we look forward to Holy Week and especially Easter when this altar will be filled with beautiful flowers and other plants.
Speaking of plants, in our first reading we heard about a burning bush on a mountain top. That bush was on fire, but it never burned up. The man we all know as Moses went up to that bush, and he heard God calling him to come near the fire, but not to get too close.
We wonder what God said. Our reading tells us God knew Moses’ people were suffering, and God would rescue them by coming down the mountain to lead them to a land flowing with milk and honey. That simply meant God knew the people were hurting and would help them by taking away their pain and suffering. But first they had to be thankful, love one another, and really believe in the power of God to work miracles.
And, that’s what we must do every day and especially during Lent. We must come down from our high mountains – our high horses – to be thankful and to be sorry for what we have done wrong – such as hurting other people’s feelings perhaps with insults or what we might have said when we are angry. We use the power of God within us all – within you children – to make everything right again. We take away their pain and sorrow by saying: “I’m sorry; please forgive me. Let’s be friends.” That’s Jesus talking and encouraging us to love each other. When that happens, it can sometimes seem like a miracle.
Speaking of miracles, what exactly was that burning bush from which God spoke? God calls out to all of us from that burning bush, as God did with Moses, and tells us: “Go no nearer.” In other words, step back from the fire.
We all face burning bushes of a sort – flaming bushes we can call fear of being left out, of the dark, of losing, of being unloved, of being unliked, of not doing well in school. These buses can be made of jealousy, worry, and anger, perhaps even hate – bushes that never seem to be consumed. Those hot flames make us sad and even cry.
God tells us to step back from those bushes, and go no nearer. That’s God’s message for your parents and family and everyone here and watching online. Step away from those fires that can burn us, if we are not careful. Better yet, let put out those fires.
Of great importance, unlike the burning bush from which God tells us to step back and come no nearer, God tells us to come closer through the Eucharist – that which we, through faith, believe is the Body of Christ. At your first communion, if you listen carefully, you will hear Christ say to you: “Here I am. Come nearer. I love you.” That’s a wonderful welcoming. And, you will be welcoming Jesus.
Our second reading from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, once again, we hear of Moses. This time we are reminded that Moses, at God’s command, struck a rock with his staff – the same staff he used to part the Red Sea. Water flowed from the rock, and people were able to drink, but the people were not satisfied. They still did evil things, so we are told God struck down most of them in the desert.
Therefore, we are warned today that even though we may feel secure, we should take care not to fall. Doing evil things will make us fall. What kind of evil things? We all know. Each of us can cite many examples from our own experiences – things we have done or have failed to do – and should confess. To avoid the fall each of us risks, we need to drink from the rock Paul identifies as Christ – our living water and spiritual drink helping us to do no harm – to deliver us from evil.
Our Gospel from Luke builds on this theme. We hear about a fig tree that produced no fruit for three years. The owner of the tree told his gardener to cut it down. But the gardener was wise. He said he would cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it hoping it would bear fruit in the future. If that failed to produce fruit, then he would cut it down.
Our gardener – our God – realizes we all need the ground around us to be cultivated and for us to be fertilized. We get all that through the love of God and our practice of our Catholic faith especially this Lent as we pray, fast, and act charitably. What’s more, communion is fertilizer – like Miracle Grow – helping us grow in love and be closer to Jesus
None of us fig trees want to be cut down. Unfortunately, what we don’t realize is that we each have our own sharp axe, and our falling can be caused by self-inflicted wounds. So, on this third Sunday in Lent, when we continue to pray, fast, and be charitable, let’s stop swinging those axes.
Instead, let’s be humble, pay attention to this Aesop Fable, and learn a lesson from another tree – the fir tree. A fir tree was boating to a bramble thorn bush, and said, somewhat contemptuously, “You poor creature, you are of no use whatsoever. Now look at me. I am useful for all sorts of things, particularly when men build houses; they can’t do without me then.” But the bramble replied, “Ah, that’s all very well, but you wait till they come with axes and saws to cut you down, and then you’ll wish were a bramble and not a fir.
Bramble branches don’t get cut down and fall. Instead, they reach out and connect all the other trees and bushes in their thorny embrace. We are to do the same through warm and loving embraces to connect all of us together in union – in communion. And we do that through the Eucharist. So, children preparing for your first communion, simply remember you are to be humble brambles and fruitful fig trees. With Jesus as your friend and shepherd, you will never be cut down. You will always rise up.
Deacon David Pierce
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