‘Let it alone this year also, until I dig round it …’
The readings this week encourage us to repent. Reflecting on what happened to the people of God in the Old Testament can help us to avoid making the same errors. As St Paul tells us in today’s Epistle, many Israelites fell away from their belief, in spite of God’s goodness.
In the First Reading Moses is drawn towards a burning bush, where God reveals himself as the creator of all things and indicates his name: ‘I am who I am’.
St Paul (Second Reading) reminds the Corinthians of how their forebears failed to please God in the desert. This should be a warning to them: they must be on their guard at all times. Being baptised is no guarantee against falling into temptation.
The Psalm expresses our gratitude to God for being loving, patient and compassionate.
This same compassion is exemplified in the Gospel. After a call to repentance, the parable of the fig tree illustrates how patient God is, even when, like that tree, his people – us – do not bear fruit over a long period of time.
As Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee year, we pray to be granted greater compassion and forgiveness towards those who repent of their trespasses against us. Perhaps we can also look more closely at our own lives. What might we change this Lent to bear more fruit?
