Fourth Sunday of Lent - 2019, "The Fourth Year"

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Jesus was teaching the crowds; some of those present told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Jesus asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them — do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ “The gardener replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

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In my experience I view the time of Lent as having two main characteristics, one of desolation and the other of consolation. As we come to grips with sin in our lives, a shadow of shame can overtake us, disrupting the peace that had been comforting us in our self-satisfied religious life. This helps us realize that we are yet only “saints-in-training”, In this desolation, the Spirit reveals to us those areas of our lives that still need work. This comes to us not as condemnation but as discernment. The loss of that comforting peace we had causes us to regret our loss and to strive to win it back with even greater devotion and adherence to the will of God. Like the well-leafed tree in Jesus parable, we may look the part to others, but upon closer scrutiny – “where is the fruit – the fruit of holiness?” Consolation begins to return to us as our repentance is realized by our actions, the Lenten actions of prayer, fasting, and works of charity. Lent is that extra year granted to the fruitless tree in the gospel. Lent is the “Fourth Year”. Lent is that time for digging in, rooting around in our hearts, spreading the manure of self-sacrifice; not seeking our own indulgence and pleasure but rather the justice and mercy our efforts can bring to those around us. Our question today is how is the digging going? The Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy provide us with an excellent checklist by which to measure the fruitfulness of the branches of our life. Lent offers us many ways to examine our lives. As we are now entering the third week of this Lent, which marks the midpoint in our Lenten Journey the question asked of us today is have we engaged in any of these Lenten observances? There is still time, we have been given this “fourth year”. “The gardener replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit (in this extra year) well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” The spiritual works of mercy include: •  Counsel the doubtful; •  Instruct the ignorant; •  Convert the sinner; •  Comfort the sorrowful; •  Forgive offenses willingly; •  Bear wrongs patiently; •  Pray for the living and the dead. The corporal works of mercy include: •  Feed the hungry; •  Give drink to the thirsty; •  Clothe the naked; •  Visit the imprisoned; •  Shelter the homeless; •  Visit the sick; •  Bury the dead.

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