The
readings for Mass today give us a great lesson against one of the toughest
vices of our time- mediocrity. In the
first reading, God, hearing the cry of his people in slavery, presents an
incredible task to Moses in the midst of his day-to-day work. God called him to do something great- to
influence the trajectory of history. We call to mind our own slavery to sin and
unworthy habits in our lives, and how God sent His own son to deliver us from
this slavery.
The
second reading draws more on this as we call to mind those worldly things that
enslave us. In our western world, we
have a great tendency to desire comfort. Without knowing it, we often consider
situations saying, “What is the best decision here, so that I don’t have to
suffer?” or “How can I get out of this uncomfortable situation?” Our first tendency is often “What is best for
me?” In the same way God called Moses,
he appeals to us in our ordinary lives- to live less ordinary- to challenge us
out of our commonplace inclinations, and warns us in the last verse of the
second reading today, “Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should
take care not to fall.” (1 Cor. 10:12)
Finally,
the Gospel today seems to put the concluding dismal touch on our third Lenten
Sunday. Jesus is very clear that sinners
will perish- and even goes to the extent of telling the story of the person who
wanted to cut down the fig tree for not bearing fruit- in a mere three
years! Yes, while hell is real, it is
not our destiny. The Old Testament story we read today is a prefiguration of
what Jesus has done for us. Our eternal
destiny is the heavenly kingdom, and our King has shown us how to live. He is a
King who gave his life in order to save us. His suffering is unfathomable- He
died scourged, with a bloodied face, nailed in humiliation.
Yet,
we know this is not the dismal end of the story. Our King rose from the dead-
and not only did He rise- but He reigned from that cross- “the throne of
love.” Let us “take up our cross and
follow Him” if we wish to be His disciples. (Matthew 16:24) For, it is not
possible to follow our Lord without the cross.
As we carry this “tree of dazzling beauty,” with knowledge of our
sonship, may it lead us to the eternal splendor of our destiny- pure happiness.
Forever.
