Sunday, 03 March 2013
Third Sunday of Lent - Year C
St. Cunegundes, Empress (+ 1040)
Commentary of the day
Asterius of Amasea : Imitating God's patience
Reading
Lk 13:1-9.
Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
He said to them in reply, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!
Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them --do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!"
And he told them this parable: "There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener, 'For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. (So) cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?'
He said to him in reply, 'Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;
it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.'"
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Asterius of Amasea (?-c.410), Bishop
Homily no.13, on conversion ; PG 40, 356-357,361 (trans. breviary 1st Thursday of Lent rev.)
Imitating God's patience
If you want to live up to the standard set by God, you must imitate his
example in whose likeness you are made. You are Christians and that very
name means that “friend of man” (cf. Wsd 1,6). You must imitate the charity
and love of Christ. Meditate carefully on the richness of Christ's
charity... Look at how he received those who listened to his voice. He
gave them a ready pardon for their sins and in a moment he quickly freed
them from those who troubled them... Let us be shepherds after the style
of our Lord... Sketched out in the gospel in parables and hidden sayings, I
find a man who is shepherd of a hundred sheep (Lk 15,4). When one of them
left the flock and wandered off the shepherd did not stay with those who
stayed grazing in the flock without wandering. On the contrary, he went off
to search for the single stray. He followed it through countless valleys
and ravines, climbed many difficult mountains, searched with great trouble
in lonely places, until he found it. When he had found the lost sheep, far
from beating it or driving it to return to the flock, he laid it on his
shoulders and gently carried it back and returned it to its fellows. The
Good Shepherd rejoiced more over this one that was found, than over all the
others.Let us think over the hidden meaning of this parable... The whole
story has a sacred meaning and it warns us not to think of any man as lost
or beyond hope. We must not easily despair of those who are in danger or be
slow to help them. If they stray from the path of virtue, we should lead
them back and rejoice in their return and make it easy for them to rejoin
the community of those who lead good and holy lives.
Third Sunday of Lent - Year C
St. Cunegundes, Empress (+ 1040)
Commentary of the day
Asterius of Amasea : Imitating God's patience
Reading
Lk 13:1-9.
Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
He said to them in reply, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!
Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them --do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!"
And he told them this parable: "There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener, 'For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. (So) cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?'
He said to him in reply, 'Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;
it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.'"
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Asterius of Amasea (?-c.410), Bishop
Homily no.13, on conversion ; PG 40, 356-357,361 (trans. breviary 1st Thursday of Lent rev.)
Imitating God's patience
If you want to live up to the standard set by God, you must imitate his
example in whose likeness you are made. You are Christians and that very
name means that “friend of man” (cf. Wsd 1,6). You must imitate the charity
and love of Christ. Meditate carefully on the richness of Christ's
charity... Look at how he received those who listened to his voice. He
gave them a ready pardon for their sins and in a moment he quickly freed
them from those who troubled them... Let us be shepherds after the style
of our Lord... Sketched out in the gospel in parables and hidden sayings, I
find a man who is shepherd of a hundred sheep (Lk 15,4). When one of them
left the flock and wandered off the shepherd did not stay with those who
stayed grazing in the flock without wandering. On the contrary, he went off
to search for the single stray. He followed it through countless valleys
and ravines, climbed many difficult mountains, searched with great trouble
in lonely places, until he found it. When he had found the lost sheep, far
from beating it or driving it to return to the flock, he laid it on his
shoulders and gently carried it back and returned it to its fellows. The
Good Shepherd rejoiced more over this one that was found, than over all the
others.Let us think over the hidden meaning of this parable... The whole
story has a sacred meaning and it warns us not to think of any man as lost
or beyond hope. We must not easily despair of those who are in danger or be
slow to help them. If they stray from the path of virtue, we should lead
them back and rejoice in their return and make it easy for them to rejoin
the community of those who lead good and holy lives.
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