Reflection for the Third Sunday of Lent 2022

“I feel like a fig tree, I am here and doing nothing.

Then I receive an email asking for someone to write a reflection for the Third Sunday of Lent.

Of course, I said “no”, but it was in my head for days and days, so I decided to write a small reflection because the fig tree was so like me.

Now that I am back on track, the fig tree is in bloom.

-The Lord is kind and merciful.”

The Third Sunday of Lent March 20, 2022

I would like to begin my reflection by suggesting that life without religion reminds me of the Canadian Flag without the Maple Leaf. Such a flag does not call forth any form of Civic allegiances. It is simply without meaning and is incapable of communicating the richness of what this symbol otherwise means to the loyal Canadian.

For me, life without religion, is best summed up by a critical loss of hope. I do believe the loss of hope creates the condition where by one begins to feel the haunting and torment feelings of despair. It is a state of being, none of us ever want to be visited with.

I have  to tell you that my Spirit is stirred up on hearing today’s Responsorial Psalm for this Third Sunday of Lent. Let us hear it together once again: The Lord is kind and merciful. I can affirm this to be so true, as I briefly share with you the following personal experience.

I have recently overcome a rather serious illness which held me bound for some time. Thanks be to God, the challenge and burden of that event is now behind me. Now, I can say with confidence to anyone who might listen that it simply would have been impossible to carry on with life’s expectations without the daily awareness of the assuring accompaniment of the power and presence of God in my daily prayer life. Thankfully my condition was such that moments of darkness and despair constantly encountered defeat, one day at a time. Such defeat was due especially to the conscience awareness that the gift of the Holy Spirit allowed hope to spring eternal within me. With hope came healing and I daily give thanks and praise to God for the generosity of his gifts to me.

Believe me, my journey in healing and wholeness was not without pain and difficulty. Neither was it absent of the power and presence of the love and care of my husband, family members, and friends whose prayer, concern and fellowship became pillars of support, especially in the more trying moments when patience wore thin. Oh yes, The Lord is kind and merciful.

Finally, going forward, let me say that I believe it is important not to get stuck in spaces and places which make us feel that God is separate and apart from who we are and whatever our particular need might be. However faded the Maple Leaf may be or has become, I want the testimony of my experience to bring a new sense of brilliance and fullness especially for those who presently are experiencing the need of Divine assistance. The parable of the Fig Tree in today’s Gospel further testifies to the patience and ultimate desire of God to allow us to come forward and bear new fruit, if we but confess and believe that The Lord is kind and merciful!