3rd Sunday in Lent (C) : Sunday 23rd March 2025

The burning bush quashed away the notion that God is punitive. Moses’ crime was not mentioned. Yahweh redirects Moses back to save his people. There is a lesson to learn here.

The dangerous notion that people who suffered tragically are punished by God must be rectified. Saints suffered enormously. Their attitude towards suffering is different from those whose choices in life are destructive and harmful to others. Saints witness fidelity and charity in good or bad times. They are beacons of hope in times of persecution and tragic martyrdom. They followed the footsteps of Jesus to heal and rectify the distorted view of God as punitive. It is clear that Jesus rejects the popular myth that all misfortunes are divine punishments. We are not to imagine a punitive God who metes out sickness, accidents, misfortunes to anyone He dislikes. And to save us from thinking that we are morally superior to others, which is degrading our own vulnerability. Calamities become lessons to wake us up to repent and change our attitudes as given in the parable of the fig tree. There is a limit to unproductive life.

Jesus redirected the crowd’s attention away from the tragic death of the Galileans to the examination of their own lives. Nothing is to be taken for granted, especially time to change for the better. We are sure that, “God is compassion and love.” It is He who forgives all our guilt and heals every one of our ills.

Lord, heal us from our biased view of Your compassion and love.