Faith

Image by Helena Mohlin from Pixabay

Scripture Reflection for March 23, 2025, Third Sunday of Lent

Wednesday, March 19, 2025Faith

Submit a Letter to the Editor

Jesus, I don't think, would want us to imitate him exactly here; he indeed wants us to offer one another comfort. But what he is saying here is that we should also recognize that our time is not guaranteed, that our lives are indeed precarious, that we should cherish every moment as if it could be our last.

Father Joshua J.
Whitfield

Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15
Ps 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11
1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12
Lk 13:1-9

This certainly isn't Jesus at his most pastoral.

By pastoral, of course, I mean things like kindness, gentleness, speaking the truth but with care and words of comfort. A priest is pastoral, for example, when he knows both what to say and what not to say. To be pastoral is to know how to read the room, how to exhibit what we call today social and emotional intelligence. It's to speak delicately about delicate and difficult things. Being pastoral is essential to Christian ministry, essential to Christian witness, essential to decency.

Which is why this passage from Luke is so jarring, because, as I said, Jesus here doesn't come across all that pastoral. His words are blunt, matter-of-fact; I imagine they may even have sounded insensitive to some. He speaks of an incident of grotesque political violence, some story about Pilate killing Galileans and mingling their blood with their sacrifices. He then talks about a tragic accident, some story about a tower at Siloam that collapsed and killed a bunch of people.

But he doesn't bring these stories up to comfort anyone; he doesn't try to help people heal or manage trauma or offer an answer as to why bad things sometimes happen to good people or anything like that. Rather, he simply says, "you will all perish as they did" (Luke 13:5). It is a cold, arresting thing to say at the very least.

I mean, think about it. What if your pastor, perhaps at a funeral or some vigil after some community tragedy, said something like this? Maybe after a car accident or a school shooting or at the funeral of friend who had just died of cancer? You will all perish as they did. What if that was the homily? You see what I mean? What would you say to your pastor if he dared say something like that? How angry would you be? How out of place and cruel and stupid would you consider his words?

But that's what Jesus said: "But I tell you, if you do not repent, you all perish as they did!" But why? Why would he say that? Perhaps it's because that is the more urgent truth. Yes, words of comfort matter a great deal; asking questions about theodicy matter less. Jesus, I don't think, would want us to imitate him exactly here; he indeed wants us to offer one another comfort. But what he is saying here is that we should also recognize that our time is not guaranteed, that our lives are indeed precarious, that we should cherish every moment as if it could be our last.

What Jesus is doing here is stressing the spiritual urgency of each day. He is saying that what matters more than anything is our present relationship with God. He is saying that a person must repent and live his or her life turned toward God. Don't waste time speculating why this or that person suffered this or that tragedy; even if you could answer such questions, none of it matters anyway. Rather, Jesus wants us to see and seize the present moment; he wants us to look around and see the contingency and chaos of the world and run to him.

Jesus here is simply trying to save us. It's like he's trying to rescue us from a burning building. He doesn't have time for small talk. He just wants to tell us exactly what we need to know. "You will all perish as they did!" "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mk 1:15). This passage is about what matters most. It should remind us how urgent the Gospel is.

So, what does this mean in the middle of Lent? The answer should be obvious. Have you been to confession yet? Why on earth are you putting it off? Have you taken any of the spiritual invitations of Lent seriously at all? Or have you slipped and fallen away from your Lenten promises? If so, never mind, just get back on the horse. Dust yourself off and get back in the game. Don't let the spiritual struggle cease to be a struggle. Keep fighting! Feel the sense of spiritual urgency. Repent, go to confession. What are you waiting for? Jesus himself has given us warning. He himself is telling us to hop to it.

- Father Joshua J. Whitfield is pastor of St. Rita Catholic Community in Dallas and author of "The Crisis of Bad Preaching."