Scripture Reflections for the Third Sunday of Lent
Year C, Lectionary 30
Although Moses saw a bush on fire, an intimidating sight, he was able to nonetheless encounter God there. In the Gospel readings, the people encountered evil and tragedy in their time but they had God, Jesus, in the midst of these tragedies. Can we also sense and be drawn to Christ during troubled times and focus on God's care to lead us to fruitful lives?
Hate feeling lost on Sundays at church? Searching for a better explanation of the Bible than what you hear from your pastor's sermon? Check out the following collection of audio, video, and text commentaries from various Christian experts for a better understanding of today's scripture that deal with: Action • Anger • Approach • Assurance • Baptism • Care • Choice • Complacency • Complain • Conversion • Death • Decision • Discipline • Eucharist • Evil • Fear • Fire • Fruit • God • Governance • Guilt • Happiness • Holy • Hope • Identity • Judgment • Justice • Lead • Lent • Marginalized • Mercy • Mission • Moses • Name • Opportunity • Patience • Prayer • Relationship • Repent • Revelation • Sacrament • Share • Sight • Sin • Stand • Suffering • Time • Transformation • Tree • Understand • Worth •
“When we play to our strength in doing God's work we start at times to think it's all about us, that we have the power, we have the strength, it's us saving. But when God plays through our weakness...then we know it must be God, it must be God doing this great work.”
“you have been called to bring the Good News, to remind people that we serve a God, a God who has a name and in that name we are tied together as a family of humanity”
“when Paul is writing in first Corinthians chapter ten, he sees that history as also a mystery that points beyond itself ultimately to the mystery Christ, the mystery of the Church and the mystery of the sacraments”
“So there when Jesus gives the teaching on the Eucharist, the Jewish leaders who are listening to him start to complain just like the wilderness generation complained about the manna from heaven”
“Of what benefit is your smile if others do not see it? Of what benefit is your hug if others do not feel it?...Of what benefit is your wealth if you are surrounded by poor people? Remember you have been blessed to bless. You have been given to give.”
“Repentance should be one of the most popular words in the Bible because it means turning away from evil and turning to goodness. It means breaking the chains of sin and living a life of freedom and joy and happiness that Christ came to give us.”
“God has given us so many things. You in your life have so many great gifts from God and you have this one chance here on Earth to produce faith, hope and love.”
“Repentance allows us to turn our attention to aspects of ourselves and our lives that need more care and correction”
“we can do small things that can bear much fruit such as...stop looking for fault, give thanks, listen more”
“The parable of the barren fig tree warns us that we can’t resist metanoia indefinitely. There will come a time of reckoning.”
“Whether it be as an individual or as a nation state, we as a people get into more trouble when we don't take just a minute to think about where we stand and before whom we stand”
“The choice that God offers us at each moment then is not the stark choice between repenting and perishing. Rather, God calls each of us by name, just like God had called Moses, to a unique vocation to become and receive mercy.”
“Sometimes we are more concerned with calling others out than with imitating the mercy that God shows us again and again”
“Where's the holy ground in your household, in your family?”
