The Third Sunday of Lent: Repentance
Reflecting on the Gospel text this third Sunday of Lent, the theme of repentance stands out.
The Gospel begins with tragedy befalling others, but instead of having empathy or being filled with love of neighbour, the people assumed that God was punishing the sinful ways of others. However, Jesus gave a strict reminder to His disciples not to judge others but rather to turn their eyes inward and repent.
Taking the Logs out of Our Eyes
In my own life, I often find myself being arrogant and quick to judge others, believing that the events in their lives are a result of their own mistakes. I often place myself on a pedestal, assuming I am better than others. However, Jesus’ stern reminder challenges me: am I focused on the speck in my neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in my own? (Matthew 7:3) There is an urgent call to purify my own heart and to seek repentance.
Repentance first requires that I put my faith and hope in God. It can be very easy to feel disheartened when falling back into bad habits or believing the lie that I am unworthy of God’s forgiveness. However no sin – no matter how shameful or dreadful, no matter how unforgiveable - is beyond the power of God’s mercy, forgiveness, and love.
The Need to be Humble
The call to repentance challenges me to exercise humility – to acknowledge my own sins, and to continuously choose to turn away from my ill habits. Yet, the choice to renounce my sinful ways is not one founded in my own strength, but in fixing my gaze on Christ and learning to cooperate with His grace. It is only in relying on Him and His strength, that I can grow into the person He has made me to be.
Repentance does not happen overnight, but it is a daily process of purifying myself with God’s grace. It must begin with me acknowledging my sins through prayer and reflection, feeling true sorrow for my wrongdoings, and to surrender my sins to Jesus such that He can transform me. It is only through humbling my pride and placing my faith in Jesus that I can truly surrender my sins to Him and embrace repentance.
Bearing Good Fruits
In the gospel, being repentant is also aligned to bearing fruit – to give your life for the nourishment of others. Bearing spiritual fruit is the supernatural growth of being rooted in Jesus, such that we may become life-giving to those around us. The invitation from the Lord is that He will use our wounds to transform our lives and be His witness in the world, but only if we surrender our brokenness to Him. Just as Jesus invited Peter the apostle to repent after his betrayal, Jesus instructed Peter to feed His sheep (John 21:15-19) and care for His Church.
The Gospel also does remind us that while the owner has every right to cut the tree down, he also is patient to let the tree grow fruit. It is this same patience that He exercises with us and our own journeys, but it is not for us to take advantage of. Rather, let us not keep God waiting, but strive to turn back and to love Him in return, in both word and deed. After all, our time on earth is limited, and repentance is the necessary preparation for when we see God face to face.
In this season of Lent, will you cast aside your pride and submit yourself wholeheartedly to Jesus in repentance? Do you trust that God can transform your brokenness into gifts of love for those around you? In this Jubilee Year of Hope, I encourage you not to be disheartened in your failures, but continue to trust and hope in God that He can change us and bear fruit for the world!
Reflection Activity
Spend time in prayer, reflecting on who God is in your life. Ask Him to illuminate the areas of your life where other things have taken His place. Give Him the space to speak into those areas, and for you to listen.
How do you desire to repent from these areas in concrete ways?
Invitation of the Week
This week, commit to preparing for the sacrament of reconciliation by doing an examination of conscience. Ask the Lord to illuminate the areas of sin and darkness in your life, especially those that you might not be aware of. As you reflect, ask Him for the grace of compunction, which is true sorrow for sin, and the humility, or even the desire, to repent.