Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15
Psalm 103
Luke 13:1-9
The theme uniting the readings today is the Name of God. The First Reading (from Exodus) is the account of YHWH’s revelation to Moses in the bush (burning, but not consumed). YHWH makes the connections for Moses: God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God of His enslaved children in Egypt. Moses is sent forth, armed with God’s Name, to demand the release of the Israelites. The Responsorial Psalm sings of this in the third stanza: “He has made known His ways to Moses, and His deeds to the children of Israel.” But the Psalm is not just about “then”—it is about our own being “redeemed from destruction” of our sins through the exodus of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. In the Gospel, Jesus discusses current affairs with His disciples—the men executed by the Romans, and the men killed by the huge wall falling on them—and uses these events to spur His listeners to repentance. In this context, He tells the parable of the fig tree. In the Byzantine Churches, the fig tree is often used as a spur to repentance: “O wretched soul, think of your last hours. Be dismayed at the rebuking of the fig tree. Act and double the talent given you with a loving purpose. Be watchful and cry out: grant that we not be left outside the bridal chamber of Christ!” In the Second Reading, Paul uses typology to connect the Exodus event with Christ, for (to Paul) Christ is the culmination of all that God has done for the Chosen People. Lent challenges us not to be cocksure: “Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure, should take care not to fall.”
This hymn is based on today’s Scriptures:
Exiled, far from pow'r & might,
Moses stumbled, fearing,
On the bush that blazed with light;
There God called him: clearing
Moses for the work of grace.
Armed with Yahweh's naming,
He went forth to serve the Lord,
God's own people claiming.
Giving answer to death's gore,
Jesus spoke in warning:
Each is charged to hear God's voice,
Flee from dark to morning!
Like the fig tree, given grace,
Let us strive in growing,
Drinking deep from grace's font,
Know God's love o'erflowing.
76.76. D
suggested tune: Jesus, I Will Ponder Now
Propers from the Roman Gradual
The first Introit option is the more traditional text, and the church hears in its pleading the voice of the suffering Savior. The second is the appropriate choice where the Order of Initiation is being celebrated, with the First Scrutiny held today. Then, God’s voice calls to the Elect in the words, “When I vindicate my holiness through you…I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you will be cleansed.” The Offertory is a reflection on today’s First Reading, the giving of the Ten Commandments. The first Communion text talks about the Temple and its provision of a home for all, connecting well to the Gospel for Year B; the second is from the Gospel for Year A, and uses Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman.
Introit, first option: Oculi mei (Ps. 25:15, 16, 1,2)
My eyes are ever looking to the Lord, for he shall pluck my feet out of the net;
O look upon me, and have pity on me, for I am left alone and in misery.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
My God, I put my trust in you, let me not be humiliated.