Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12; Luke 13:1-9
Charity: A Lenten Response to God’s Visit
Wow, third week of Lent is already upon us, how much of a host of the three weeks of Lent have we been, what are the achievements so far in your and my warfare against discriminations, selfishness, maliciousness, anger, gluttony, gossips; yes, how charitable have we been in the past three weeks of Lent?
It may surprise that charity summarizes our journey of Lent so far; but it shouldn’t be. The three readings of this Sunday are pointing in that direction – unless you and I appreciate what Jesus did for us on the cross, neither can we love human beings nor God, which is our necessary response to God’s mercy to us! Charity, love-as-sacrifice, expressed in our love for one another, is the only measure of human response to God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. This love or charity has its origins in God himself.
The visit of God, in the form of a cloud, and the company of Elijah and Moses last Sunday, which we call Transfiguration, tells us that they (Elijah and Moses) were talking with Jesus about his imminent death. That is, Jesus receives visitors and God comes to visit his Son because there are troubled times ahead. The same voice that spoke at the baptism spoke again at the Transfiguration. The same Spirit that led Jesus into the desert to be tempted and granted him victory over temptation leads him towards his crucifixion. It follows that God doesn’t visit only when all is well, he visits also when the going gets tough; indeed, he never departs from us, he is always there through thick and thin. However, in some moments of our lives, especially when the odds are against us, God visits us in a peculiar way. Our God visits!
A suffering and oppressed people called out to God, in our first reading, and what does Exodus say: “I have visited my people and I have seen their suffering, so I have come to rescue them” (Exodus 3:7, 16). God visits those in trouble in order to bring them solace and liberation; this he does today with the Israelites. Remember, though, that God’s visitation is made concrete through Moses – the visible image of a visiting God. Moses becomes the human presence and mouth-piece of God to lead Israel out of slavery and suffering. Our God visits, in human form!
God visits Israel, reveals his name and presence to them, but what a welcome he received – stubbornness in old ways and doubts as to his powers; even Pharaoh will contest God’s power, and the legitimacy of God to take away their economic power – human slaves, Israelites! Of course, it is not for no good reason that God is called SABAOTH – God of hosts/armies, he does battles too, when need be; not battles to kill, but to save. Our God visits!
How come human beings, more often than not, fail to be hospitable to a God who visits them, they fail to be good hosts to him? Paul mentions how the three symbols of “cloud,” meaning God, “manna,” meaning communion/spiritual food, and “water,” meaning Baptism, manifest God’s mediums of visitation to his people, yet they were not appreciative of God’s actions. God feeds his children spiritually and materially – manna, holy communion, ordinary food; he makes us his adopted children through baptism – spiritual heritage; he made our ancestors cross the sea of reeds hitch free – liberation from physical and spiritual bondage to sin and physical incarceration. Interestingly, Paul adds, “what happened to them is a warning to you and me!” What do we make of warnings anyway? After all, is God’s mercy not everlasting, who cares about his punishment, he shouldn’t punish ever! Our God visits!
The meaning of God’s visit is determined by God’s host: God comes in blessing or punishment. When God is welcomed, he leaves a blessing behind; when he is rejected, he leaves punishment. Jesus says, “But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did” (Luke 13:5)! Pharaoh and his army didn’t escape punishment for resisting and opposing God’s visit; among the Israelites, not everybody made it to the Promised Land, because they were not all receptive of God’s visitation. Even today, some of us continue to be bad hosts for Jesus’ visits to our homes, countries, hearts, etc. indeed, God visits me in my neighbor and my visit to my neighbors is God’s visit to them. Yes, our God visits!
But how have I fared so far, this Lent? Have I fasted from discrimination and gossips and greed? Oh yes, I have every excuse not to be forgiving and to be angry and selfish! Of course, I want God to help me out of my predicaments, I want him to make people love, favor and bless me; yet, I do not see any reason why I need to do that for others. Again, why do I attend the Way/Stations of the Cross? To mark my presence or to show love? What about my sick neighbor whom I failed to visit because I preferred going to the stations/way of the cross instead of helping a needy neighbor! “Whatsoever you do, to the least of my people . . . ” (Matthew 25:31-46), that is God right there visiting with me, visiting you this Lent. Our God visits!
Lenten period is an invitation to show love to our neighbors, because God loves us and gave his Son for us. The effects of my Lenten CHARITY (almsgiving), one of the three pillars of the Lenten (fasting, prayer and almsgiving) season, has to be felt by somebody, otherwise my Lent is inconsequential! Just as God visits us, so do we need to visit others by being God’s favor and blessing to them. You and I still have time for charity, but not limitless time because – “Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down” (Luke 13:9). With this parable, Jesus is buying time for you; but what are you doing for yourself?
The parable of today’s gospel tell us of the consequences of failing to take advantage of God’s mercy, of recognizing that loving a God who loves us, and gave his Son for us, frustrates God’s will for our salvation. The God who created us without our help, to paraphrase St. Augustine of Hippo, cannot save us without our help. Salvation is offered, but salvation needs to be accepted; mercy and grace are given, but they need human assent and consent! The limit of mercy is human will to refuse to receive mercy!
Assignment for the Week
Can you make someone feel the impact of your charity this week?