Lk.13:1-9
‘The Repented Sinner’ was a short story written by the epic Russian writer Leo Tolstoy based on the conversion experience of the good thief on the cross. The story goes thus: There was a man who lived for seventy years in sin. Finally, he fell ill, and even then, he did not repent. But while he was dying, he wept and repented and prayed to God to forgive him as he had forgiven the good thief on the cross. The soul of the sinner, believing in the mercy of God, went to heaven and knocked at the gate of heaven.
The voice of St. Peter told him that sinners are not allowed in heaven. Then the soul of the repented sinner told St. Peter that he had the fortune of hearing the Good News from the lips of Jesus. Jesus raised Peter to be the leader of the apostles, and he had witnessed the miracles of Jesus. Nonetheless, he betrayed Jesus on a number of occasions. At Gethsemane, though Jesus repeatedly asked him to keep awake, he failed miserably to fulfil the request of Jesus. Again, at the crucial time of Jesus’ life, he denied him thrice publicly. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, Peter and all the other disciples ran for their safety. In spite of his life-long companionship and the teachings of Christ, he could not reform himself. Therefore, it was natural for the repented sinner that he could not do any good deeds while he was here on earth. Anyhow, his argument did not have any impact on St. Peter, and the doors of heaven stayed closed.
The repented sinner knocked again at the door, then he heard the voice of King David telling him to get out because there was no place for sinners in heaven. Then the repented sinner reminded King David that he was a shepherd boy; nevertheless, the Lord raised him as the king of Israel and granted him all glory and power. Thus, he became the greatest king in the history of Israel. Though God granted him immeasurable wealth, beautiful wives, and children, he wanted to covet Uriah’s wife. He committed adultery with her. He betrayed his loyal soldier, Uriah, in order to conceal his failure and seize Bathsheba. Even then, Heavenly Father granted him a place in heaven when he repented of his sins. However, he tried to convince David, but his response was very cold.
The repented sinner’s soul was not disappointed. He knocked again, and this time it was the voice of St. John the apostle. The repented sinner knew he was the beloved disciple of Christ who experienced the love of God in its depth, and it is only in his gospel that we find the consoling words: “God is love.” When the repented sinner asked John to allow him to enter, John opened the doors of heaven for the repented sinner, and he entered.
The Third Sunday of Lent leads us to the central theme of this season, the clarion call to repentance. We need to acknowledge our imperfections and renew our commitment to our faith journey towards the Lord through our sincere repentance. No one can say that we do not require repentance. All of us are in need of repentance. The central theme of Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom of God was conversion of the heart. He begins his public ministry by inviting people to repentance: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the Good News.” (Mk.1:15)
In today’s gospel passage, we see Jesus inviting everyone to think seriously about repentance. Someone informs Jesus concerning the Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices. We are not sure exactly the reason for this brutality by Pilate. Some authors suggest that Pilate might have punished these people for their anti-Roman activities. They informed Jesus of this tragic news because they wanted to get some comments against Roman rule and trap him. Instead of giving controversial comments against Roman rule, Jesus uses this event as an immediate call for repentance by posing the question: “Were they worse sinners than all the other Galileans?” (Lk. 13:2)
In the second example, Jesus quotes the tragic accident of Siloam, wherein the tower collapsed and eighteen people were killed. There was a superstitious belief among Jews that such unfortunate events were expressions of the wrath of God. Jesus corrects them, saying that it was a mere accident and not out of God’s wrath. However, if we don’t repent over our sinful lives, we too will perish like these people. Similarly, the parable of the fig tree invites us to take every opportunity to renew our life seriously. The fig tree was common in the vineyard, and it was supposed to give fruit after three years. When the owner saw that the fig tree didn’t have any fruit, he wanted to cut it down right away. The workers told the Master that he would take extra care of the fig tree by giving it enough manure and nutrients. Anyhow, if he doesn’t find fruit even after that, he will cut it down. It reveals the fact that the opportunities that we receive from the Lord are accounted for, and we need to correct our sinful ways through our sincere repentance and produce the fruits that are expected of us.
The first reading of the day speaks to us of the conversion experience of Moses. We are familiar with the past life of Moses. He killed an Egyptian to defend his fellow Israelites. Once he comes to know that everyone knows about it, including Pharoah, he runs away for his life. At Horeb, the Lord gives him his experience through the burning bush. When Moses was about to come closer to the bush, he heard the voice of the Lord telling him to remove his sandals because it was a sacred place. The command of the Lord to remove his sandals was an invitation to repentance, to get rid of his sinful past. Thus, through a life of repentance and self-renewal, be a courageous leader and liberator of the people of God. God also reveals his true self to him: “I am who I am,” which means He is eternal, all-holy, and powerful, as well as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God invites not only Moses but also the entire people of Israel to repentance by recoganizing their unworthiness before the Lord.
However, the people of Israel grumbled against the Lord and Moses because of their stubbornness. They witnessed the mightiness of the Lord in their liberation from Egypt and even tasted the heavenly food, “manna,” given by the Lord. As a result, none of them entered the Promised Land. In the second reading, Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, referring to the disobedience of Israel, reminds us that the experience of the old Israel is a great learning experience for all of us who are the new Israel. We are called to be fruitful through our sincere repentance. As we are in the middle of the season of Lent, let us examine our lives and see whether we have had any deviations in our faith journey. Let us acknowledge our failures through our sincere repentance and may this season help us to revive our faith journey by receiving strength from God’s grace and getting rid of our sinful past.