“The man who thinks he is safe must be careful he does not fall.” This is the theme of this Sunday: it underlines the need for repentance, which is the focus of our Lenten journey in Year C. Jesus, in the Gospel, uses two recent events in order to illustrate his point about sin and repentance -there is a price to be paid for sin, but there is a way of avoiding it: if we repent, we will have salvation and a new and real freedom. This idea is emphasised in the parable, where we see a tree not being condemned immediately, but given a chance to change and produce fruit. So are we. This links in with the two other readings, which also talk about escape – the escape of Israel from Egypt. This is to be a warning for us, as Saint Paul says: if we are Christians, we must live as Christians, and be aware of the need to watch our lives and scrutinize the direction they are taking.
Today’s Scripture
Exodus 3: 1 – 8, 13 – 15;
1 Corinthians 10: 1 – 6, 10 – 12;
Luke 13: 1 – 9.
