Changing our minds (Luke 13:1-9)

In the Gospel for this 3rd Sunday of Lent from St Luke, we hear a powerful and uncompromising call from Jesus to repentance on the part of all who hear him. Some people have just arrived and tell Jesus about a terrible tragedy in which a number of Galileans have died. Jesus immediately warns them not to think that because these Galileans have suffered a tragic fate that they were greater sinners than others. Jesus has no intention of leaving his hearers in a state of comfortable ignorance. “Do you think these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans?” (Lk 13:2) No. Jesus calls us instead to examine our own lives and recognise that we all need to change, and repent. We all need God’s mercy and help.

A sad feature of our modern society is the amount of time that is spent highlighting other peoples scandals and sins in big headlines and lurid stories. There is no end of the accounts of famous people’s failings in relationships, marriages and business dealings. Sometimes we can all be tempted to point a finger and grumble about how bad these fallen icons are and how much better we would be in that position. We can feel helpless in the face of a world that seems to have lost all sense of right and wrong. But I remember hearing once a good line. When you point a finger at another remember there are three more pointing back at you. The best place to begin to change the world is to start with that small part of it in which we call the shots -our own lives. That calls for a decision on the part of each of us to recognise where we need to have a complete change of mind and then make the real effort to do so. But we must always remember that we don’t do this alone. The grace of God is always being poured out to us to help us in all our needs. The very word repentance comes from the Greek word metanoia which literally means a change of mind. We are called to think with the mind of Christ, to see the world, ourselves and each other with the same love, beauty and dignity with which He sees us and for which he died for us.

The Gospel account ends with Jesus telling of a fig tree that has not borne fruit for three years and there is a discussion on whether to cut it down or not. But the man tending it pleads for one more year during which he will tend to it and manure it. God is ever patient with us. But he longs for us to allow Him to help us change so that we can grow to the fullness of who we are and share the abundant fruit of his love with a world so in need of Christ. Let us hear the loving call of Jesus this Sunday to begin to change our hearts and minds and allow him to help us become the fullness of who we are as beloved children of God.

Br. David Barrins OP

Gospel reading can be found at Catholic Ireland.net