Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: March 24, 2019
Dearest Parishioners and Friends,
As we get deeper into Holy Lent, as your pastor I really feel I first should thank you for your continuing faithfulness to the spiritual discipline of this special season. We don’t keep statistics, but attendance is up for daily and Sunday Masses, for weekday confessions, and most noticeably at our Friday “Stations of the Cross” devotions. I also have a habit of popping into church at odd times, and definitely the numbers of people making a simple, brief “visit” to the Blessed Sacrament are up as well. Practically everyone benefits from increased prayer time: why, just the peace and quiet of the quiet church – and the long, slow, relaxing breaths of God’s spirit while praying! – are good for the body and psyche, as well as the soul.
This Third Sunday of Lent doesn’t have a special name, but when I noticed what the Scripture readings were for it I sort of came up with the moniker, “Second Chance Sunday.” In the Lukan Gospel, Jesus’ parable of the unproductive fig tree (chapter 13, verses 6 to 9) reminds us that God will give everyone more than enough opportunities and assistance to advance in holiness. And then the Church has paired this Gospel passage with the classic, famous Bible story recounting the call of Moses (our reading is Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15 – but I really recommend you read all of Ex 3:1-17!). Our Biblical memory identifies Moses as the Lord’s spokesman, but even more importantly it reveals God’s intention to save the people of Israel from their oppression as slaves in Egypt.
This is what God does. If things don’t work out, and in fact even when we are victims of ourselves and others, God’s interest is to rescue us. He will forgive our sins – the self-inflicted harm we do to ourselves. And He will give us grace to overcome other problems and external ills. Even in the face of the inevitable disaster of death, His Son’s passion, death and resurrection offers hope for everyone.
It would be a tragic mistake to give up on God, to think He’s only interested in helping people in the past, or offering His grace to others who deserve it more. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Lord always insisted that He was interested especially in helping anyone. Think of all of Jesus’ parables about finding lost sheep (Lk 15:3-7), His challenges to forgive overwhelmingly (Mt 18:21-22ff.), His outreach to “untouchable” lepers (Mt 8:2-3), outcast Samaritans (Jn 4:4-42), and even pagans (Lk 7:1-10) show this. Not everyone is saved, but it’s not because of God: only human rejection by sin of His offer of salvation thwarts the Lord’s mercy.
Next Sunday, the fourth one of Lent, is the real “mid-point” of this holy season. It is known as Laetare Sunday. The name comes from the Latin text of its Entrance Song in the Roman Missal, Laetare Jerusalem (“O be joyful, Jerusalem!”). The somberness of our Lenten discipline is relaxed somewhat by more joyful music, by sanctuary flowers again (ordinarily not allowed during the rest of Lent), and by rose-colored vestments instead of the more penitential purple. Honestly, I encourage you to observe this kind of tradition in your own personal Lenten sacrifices: without breaking your Lenten promises to God and to self, you still can smile more on the Fourth Sunday of Lent and the days following it!
Yours in Christ, the Son of God,
Very Rev Paul D. Counce