On the weekend of March 23-24, 2019, the Third Sunday of Lent, we heard the stories of Moses and the burning bush and Jesus' parable of the fig tree that bore no fruit, with an excerpt from St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians warning us against pride and presumption regarding our own good standing with God.
Fr. Newton's homily outlines how each of the readings speak of conversion and God's approach to discipline and mercy to encourage us to repent and amend our lives. He further points out the the parable of the fig tree teaches not only to do no wrong, but to do what is right in the world, in order to bear the fruit we should in this life.
Fr. Mark's homily also focuses on Jesus' call to repentance, but also the patience of God, as illustrated by the parable in which the fig tree is given another year and better care in hopes that it will become fruitful. Father then gives practical advice on "book-ending" our day with prayer in order to be more reflective about our motives and those of others, that we may maintain or repair our relationships with our neighbors, our enemies and God.
Check out the readings and homilies in English and Spanish at the links below:
- Readings in English (USCCB)
- Homily: Fr. Arockiya Newton (Audio)
- Homily: Fr. Mark Innocenti (Audio)
- Lecturas en Español (USCCB)
- Homilia: Dcn. Lucio David Hernandez (Español) (Audio)