Third Sunday of Lent, Luke 13,1-9

Having the right attitude towards repentance (Luke 13:1-9)
There is no repentance like repentance. There is a fundamental difference. In what? Repentance is love.

Lent is specific, and yet. Has it not happened to you that you have rejected sin? It happens that evil is relegated to the past. Guilt is not recognized. They have already sounded the alarm about corruption, about responsibility. Didn’t someone advise you to break free from the church’s prohibitions? Yes, sin is no longer talked about, but more sin is committed, and it is committed publicly, without shame, without fear… Yes, they also repent and go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but they don’t get better because they don’t want to. Repentance is not valid; it is customary, traditional… The love of Jesus, the forgiveness of Jesus is degraded… They say they don’t need forgiveness; they don’t believe that a priest can forgive anything… And what follows? The consequences are seen on their face and their whole life; it is seen in society.

And yet. Even today, whether someone believes in the existence of sin or not, Jesus tells us: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish…” (Lk. 13:3).

Nothing new under the sun. Jesus is speaking on the subject of conversion and repentance. Some of the hearers do not accept Jesus’ teaching and attack. The passage in Luke’s Gospel speaks of a group of people who have a problem regarding sin guilt. Jesus addresses the issue in the specific historical facts that were happening. Pilate had provoked several riots in which human blood was shed in the temple and mixed with the blood of sacrificed animals. The Jews were given privileges by Rome, which the governor violated. They also speak of misfortune at Siloe, where a tower fell, killing eighteen. Jesus’ opponents use these events to drag Jesus into their dishonest views. Jesus sees their opposition to the teaching he presents to them, so he asks them questions and immediately answers them himself. Responding with a question is considered the masterful speech of any teacher, including Jesus. Jesus gives one answer to both events, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish…” (Lk. 13:3). The opponents of Jesus considered those killed in the temple and under the tower’s ruins to be sinners. Jesus responds that these may have been far less sinful than those who proclaimed them to be sinners.
Jesus points out another danger that all people face when living in sin. In the parable of the fig tree that bears no fruit and therefore is to be cut down, Jesus points out the importance and necessity of true and sincere repentance. The vine dresser asks that the fig tree be given one more chance: “Lord, let it be this year. I will hoe it and fertilize it. Perhaps it will bear fruit” (Lk 13:8-9). Already the events narrated to Jesus need to be explained in the spirit that the sword of Pilate threatens everyone, and a tower can be brought down on anyone. If it is a fig tree that bears no fruit, that is cursed because it has exhausted the patience of its owner, if it is once more dug up and bears fruit, it represents a tremendous and final occasion of love that it did not deserve. Grace shown does not automatically bear fruit. The man symbolized as a fig tree must cooperate with grace to bear fruit.

The catechesis thus presented addresses us who live in very similar and concrete circumstances. Perhaps even in our positions, we can find more of the mindset of the interlocutors with Jesus. There are also those Christians who would most gladly remove from the liturgy of the Mass the act of repentance. This manifests a broader phenomenon that points to the demise of the awareness of sin in contemporary man. One can speak of a loss of moral consciousness and responsibility for one’s actions. This practice must be a cause for alarm if only because the days of the last world wars disturbed many, are not so far distant. After all, even today, sin is still bearing fruit in social and personal dimensions. J. J. Rousseau’s utopian dream of a man who is good by nature of nature burst long ago. Today man is aware that his existence is threatened not only by higher forces but also by himself. How much has been written and is being written on this subject. Rarely has man been so harshly judged. It is strange. In film’s literary works, more and more we drill into the secret chambers of hearts, and the same man claims that no one has the right to speak of sin. The world has become accustomed to talking about the sin of others but is silent about its own. Some are taking steps to remove the concept of sin from the manuals of Christian theology. It should be the steps of the Church that should be conformed to the world. We realize that this is nothing new in the Church. Even in the time of Christ, some men said of themselves that they were righteous. St. John dedicated the words to them: “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 Jn. 1:10).

When we want to answer the question of the causes of such views, we can safely say that they begin with a rejection of our dependence on God. For the man who rejects God, the notion of sin becomes meaningless, and the concept of moral evil can only be relative. The attitude of many contemporaries is expressed by Sartre when he says: “There is neither good nor evil and no one who can command me.” He rejects, moreover, the existence of absolute moral standards of divine right. Man leaves God’s law and judges that he has achieved liberation. He deprives himself first of the compass, which points the way to a particular life consciousness. Thus, he remains alone, without permanent and firm principles.

A steady orientation toward God is not the luxurious basis of special church tips but the defining duty of all Christians. In every situation, we are to remain faithful to God. We must remember that we are weak and prone to sin, we need to guard against evil, and when we fall, we need to repent. This doesn’t just mean outwardly, but a return inwardly is required. Not just outwardly to repent and confess, but inwardly to acknowledge our sin, to forgive God that we have offended Him. Let us repeat to ourselves what perfect contrition is. Returning to God is understood as a conscious and voluntary renunciation of all that is not connected with God. We need to renounce all practices that keep us in a simple approach to repentance. Jesus reminds us, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). We do not want to be among those who misunderstand and practice repentance. We must be careful of our mentality. The nature of man often causes problems for ourselves. Indeed, conversion can often be spoken of as a heroic act. We need to be strengthened in a joyful spirit and to see the joy of forgiveness in return, maintained in the sense of inner and outer peace. True, we have to ask for the grace of conversion both for ourselves and other people. To lead children and adolescents, in particular, to pray to preserve a spirit of repentance throughout life and pray for grace if we have abandoned God-love so that we may find our way back as soon as possible.
Father J. W. Groff tells the mystery of heaven and hell: On the roadside sat an old monk. He had his eyes closed, legs crossed, and hands resting in his lap. He sat absorbed in deep meditation. Suddenly, the harsh and imperious voice interrupted his reflection: “Knife, old man! Explain to me at once the difference between heaven and hell!” The monk did not move, as if he had not even heard. Then he opened his eyes, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth, and the soldier just stood there, waiting impatiently, growing more nervous with every passing second. “Would you like to know the secret of heaven and hell?” The monk exclaimed at last. “You, so neglectful? You, who have your hands and feet stained with filth? Thou that hast uncombed hair and foul breath, and thy sword is rusty and dull? Thou that art ugly, and thy mother dresses thee so ridiculously? Thou askest me about heaven and hell? The soldier cursed wildly. He drew his sword and raised it high above his head. A grimace contorted his face; the arteries in his neck boiled and bulged as he prepared to behead the monk. “This is hell,” the monk said meekly, just as the sword began to descend. In a split second, the soldier was left as if stunned, and he felt respect, compassion, and love for this peaceful man who had dared to risk his life to teach him what the hell was. The sword stopped in midair and the soldier’s eyes flooded with tears of gratitude. “And this,” continued the monk, “is heaven.” (Chicken Soup for the Soul 3rd Serving, SOFA, 1996, p. 322)
It could be said that the beginning of the return is also our fear of God, our fear of damnation. Let us remember the less donal regret. We want to avoid messing with the patience of God, who gives time and opportunity to make amends to forsake sin. Do not postpone for later… On the contrary, our gratitude to God for the grace of conversion is appropriate. It does not have to be only old or sick.

Today, in the Eucharistic celebration, we open our hearts to return, to repentance, to the growth of God’s love in us. Let us ask for the necessary strength to make a good Easter sacrament of reconciliation and beg for the grace of this sacrament at the hour of our death.