Third Sunday of Lent

Reflection

In today’s Gospel, we see God as a spiritual “gardener”; tending to us as if we are the fig trees described by St. Luke.  Jesus says that God, like the gardener in the parable, is willing to invest time and love to nurture us, shape us, and provide all the right balance of nourishment so that our lives will bear fruit.  And if we fail to grow to our fullest potential in that first bloom, God doesn’t give up on us!  Like the gardener, God recognizes our frailty, and ensures that our failings do not condemn us to extra punishment or push us past all hope of redemption.  Instead, we are tended to and invited to try anew.  We are encouraged to recognize our sins, to repent and begin our re-growth in a new direction.  God does not leave us alone in our struggle to grow either.  We are provided with structure and supports. We are repeatedly invited and instructed how to prune all things that prevent us from growing to our fullest human potential.  

I take great comfort in the fact that God is a God of patience and of mercy—because I certainly have not gotten my spiritual life to grow in the right direction on the first try.  But, in the light of God’s love and care, I know I can become something strong that will bloom where I have been planted.

Prayer

Lord, continue to cultivate the ground around me and nurture me with Your love.  Help my relationship with You to grow strong and bear fruit.

Amy Rock-Wardwell, ’96, Member of the Worshipping Community

Scripture

First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17

Psalm 19:8—11

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:22-25

Gospel: John 2:13-25

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website