Newsletter — Third Sunday of Lent – Year C 23rd March 2025
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In today’s Gospel of the liturgical year C (Lk 13:1-9), Jesus begins with a very strong call to conversion. Conversion is an essential part of Lent.
To invite us to conversion, Jesus uses the parable of the fig tree that did not bear fruit. The whole point of a fig tree, its main finality for us, is to give fruit.
The fig tree in the parable does not fulfil its purpose, its mission. So the owner wants to cut it down and replace it.
We too have a mission to bear good fruit, that is our purpose. And the fruit that God wants us to bear is love, that is, to love God, to love ourselves and to love our neighbours.
In order to fulfil our mission to bear good fruit, we receive help from Jesus, the gardener, we receive fertiliser.
What are these different kind of fertilisers that we receive and that we can absorb in order to be more fruitful?
The first fertiliser is the Word of life, which we receive through the readings at Mass, through meditation on the Word of God and through silent prayer nourished by the Scriptures.
The second fertiliser is God’s forgiveness. Forgiveness restores our hope and releases life in us. We receive forgiveness especially through the sacrament of Reconciliation.
The third and essential fertiliser is the gift of Christ’s own divine life, which we received at Baptism and which is nourished in us by the Eucharist.
Let us not postpone conversion: let us put our priorities in the right order, for what is at stake for us and for the world is so important!
Fr Arnaud
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