Turn aside

The Book of Exodus speaks today of a physical motion that is an important part of this Lenten season.  While Moses was tending his father’s flock, he led the animals to the mountain of God where he encountered something very curious and turned aside to look at this great sight (Ex 3:3).  As we continue our journey toward the celebration of Easter, we too need to turn aside from our regular routines so that we can take stock of the lives we have lived, where we are in relation to our God, to others and to ourselves, and where we would like to be.

In all sincerity, we strive to stand before the Lord.  Although we are conscious of our own weakness whenever we are in the presence of God, our heavenly Father wishes only to make us aware of the fruitfulness that is the reward for our faithfulness.  Every one of us has been created in love, and God’s hope for us is that we do far more than merely occupy space here on earth.  We are meant to bear fruit through the loving words we speak and the acts of kindness and compassion we share with others.

Some of us who are here today might still not have given much thought to slowing down the frantic pace of our daily lives during Lent, much less turning aside so that we can truly consider the Lord’s invitation to take stock of the fruitfulness of our lives, yet there is still time to do this.  Like the skilled gardener mentioned in the gospel (cf Lk 13:8), during the season of Lent, it sometimes feels as though Jesus, the master gardener is digging around in our hearts, tending to the soil and feeding our souls.  This can be an uncomfortable process, but such change must take place so that we can grow stronger in our convictions and ultimately bear fruit in the ways we share the joy of our faith with others.

Lent can be a time when we are made aware of some less appealing aspects of our own personalities, yet the journey toward conversion can provide us with essential nutrients that will lead to our growth.  Our ancestors in faith also encountered such opportunities for change.  Saint Paul speaks in the second reading about the gifts that the Lord offers to us as sources of strength for our journey and for our growth.  Like those who have gone before us in faith, we too have been baptized, we too eat the spiritual food of the Eucharist and we too drink from the same spiritual chalice (cf 1 Cor 10:2-4).

Strengthened by these gifts, and relying on the mercy of the Lord, we stand firmly but humbly in his presence to say yes to His invitation to receive mercy and forgiveness.  On two occasions in today’s gospel passage, Jesus points out that he is not as concerned with the gravity of what his children may have done in order to turn away from him (cf Lk 13:2-5).  What is important is that we find the courage to turn aside, to look honestly at our own realities and at the invitation that is being extended to us at this time: an invitation to change our ways, so that the soil in which we live can be renewed.

In the coming days, let us dare to turn aside, to look with renewed sight at the relationship we are currently experiencing with our God, with others and with ourselves ... and let us ask the Lord to renew us in his love.