Third Sunday of Lent YearThe Ever Alive Actions of GodExodus 3:1-8a, 13-15
1st Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12
Luke 13:1-9Dear Sisters, Brothers and Children, we gather during the historical moments of the Church where our hearts and minds are raised to God to sustain the Church with the presence of the Holy Spirit to elect a new Pope to continue to lead the Church in His ways in this modern world. We spoke about the memories of God on the first Sunday of the Lent, we reflected on the journeys of God in the liturgy of the second Sunday of Lent and now on this third Sunday of this season we focus our attention on the Actions of God. The actions of God are ever alive from the beginning, now and it will be forever. Our role is to cooperate and to contribute to the actions of God.
What was the best action of God? Creating Man and woman is the very best action of God?
What was the worst action of God? The unquestionable action of God is, allowing Man and Woman to have desire and to have freedom to exercise it. There is no answer; but one thing is sure, goodness and good action comes from God, bad action comes from evil company.
Where is God when Hurricanes, Tsunamis and earthquakes damaged the life of the people and the environment?
Where was God on September 11?
Where was God when the innocent children were killed at Newtown School in Connecticut last December?
Where God is while the terrorist acts are being repeated and the middle-east crisis remains as an ongoing one?
We can mention various events and realities to say that God was absent, God was inactive and God is silent. Philip Yancey reflects in his book, “where is God when it hurts” sharing the life of young couple and the suffering of Claudia in cancerous pain and depression. After all the questions, the author says: “One begins to recognize and reflect on the actions of God in those circumstances. We are called to cooperate and Faithful Consistently to the action of God.
We hear Moses’s great and the first personal experience of God in the burning bush. God reveals in an act: the bush was alive, burning fire of flame. God wants Moses to act on behalf of Him, to lead and to liberate the people of Israel. “I have seen their affliction and heard their cry so I want to act to deliver them.” Moses asked the name and identity of the Lord, He says. I AM WHO I AM, which means God who is present and in action always. When God reveals, ‘I am the God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob,’ He proves that He is present in the beginning, present now and will be present in the future. So the nature, intention and desire of God is to act. This action is of liberation and deliverance. We know this from the history and life of Israel that God was after them every time to deliver them from slavery, from enemies, from calamities and from evil practices. He expected and demanded the cooperation and consistent desire, faith and faithfulness of the people.
The evangelist Luke narrates two examples to show that Jesus wants to act but waits for your cooperation and faithful consistence. First, He mentions about the Galileans. Pilate took the temple money received from the sacrifice of the people for putting up an aqueduct for the city of Jerusalem. The Galileans objected this and protested. Pilate killed them and stopped them along with the Samaritans from worshipping and offering sacrifice at the temple of God. Then the eighteen Galileans, who were working at the Siloam tower, fell down and died. The People interpreted this as punishment from God, but Jesus calls them to cooperate with the action of God not of Pilate. The second example of the fig tree is an indirect warning and a direct demand of Jesus to respond and cooperate with the plan of Jesus. Jesus says that He was ready to wait, because He prefers and wishes their deliverance not their fall or destruction.
Creation Is an action of God, the vocation or calling as chosen people is another action of God, protecting with the pillars of fire and cloud is the action of God, liberating them as a free people and making a covenant of love with them is a special act of God. Jesus moved with and for people, His actions of healing, teaching and proclaiming demand cooperation and consistent practice of faith from the people for their deliverance.
One of the last words of the Holy Father Pope emeritus was, “The Church is the living body; this was vivid and clearly seen through the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s square for the last Wednesday’s general audience. Through the Church, the mystery of the incarnation remains forever present. It is clear from his words, that the action of God is ever alive in history, in the Church and in our lives if we cooperate and are consistent in our faithfulness.
Blessed Mother Teresa said, “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.” God keeps writing, keeps doing and keeps acting; so our response should be: “Yes I am cooperating with the action of God consistently.
When did I feel I was delivered by the hands of God?
How do I respond to the action and opportunities of God today? -Amen.
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