Unless you repent
Third Sunday of Lent (C)
“Unless you repent you will all perish as they did”. These are strong words.
The teaching of the Lord in the Gospel today firstly dispels the myth that those who experience misfortune are somehow being punished by God. God is not vindictive.
However, the Lord also teaches authoritatively that repentance is necessary for salvation.
We are all familiar with the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The important moment in the parable is when the son comes to his senses and realises that he is making a mess of his life. He decides to return to his father. He has chosen the path of repentance. He prepares to acknowledge his sin and seek his father’s forgiveness.
This is the path each of us needs to take this Lent.
The final words in the second reading today are pertinent. St Paul says, “the man who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall”. We should never presume on God’s forbearance. Nor should be consider ourselves righteous before God. We are all sinners.
The Lenten journey each year does not only involve acts of self-denial but must also include embarking on a journey towards a personal reconciliation with God. The culmination of the Lent for each of us must be presenting ourselves before God in the Sacrament of Penance.
The process of reconciliation with God involves a thorough examination of conscience. In this process we need a yardstick in which to examine our lives.
A good yardstick is the Ten Commandments. As we look to them as a guide to the way we are living we are reminded, as the Lord taught, that we need to go deeper than just their immediate literal meaning. Jesus taught, ‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors, “You must not kill”. But I say this to you anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court’. We need to go deeper and examine the state of our heart.
Let us very briefly consider the commandments, offering some areas for examination of conscience:
- I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me. Have I treated people, events, or things as more important than God? Have I denied my faith or been ashamed of my faith before others? Have I dabbled in the occult? Do I pray daily?
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Have my words, actively or passively, put down God, the Church, or people? Do I swear or blaspheme?
- Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day. Do I go to Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation? Do I avoid, when possible, work that impedes worship to God, joy for the Lord’s Day, and proper relaxation of mind and body?
- Honor your father and your mother. Do I show my parents due respect? Have I neglected my responsibilities in the family?
- You shall not kill. Have I harmed another through physical, verbal, or emotional means, including gossip or manipulation of any kind? Have I been abusive towards others? Have I sought revenge against another? Have I used alcohol to excess or taken illicit drugs?
- You shall not commit adultery. Have I respected the physical and sexual dignity of others and of myself? Am I using pornography? Have I been impure in thought, word or deed?
- You shall not steal. Have I taken or wasted time or resources that belonged to another? Have I cheated anyone? Have I gambled excessively? Have I wasted money on myself?
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. Have I gossiped, told lies, or embellished stories at the expense of another? Have I betrayed trust?
- You shall not covet your neighbour’s spouse. Have I honoured my spouse with my full affection and exclusive love?
- You shall not covet your neighbour’s goods. Am I content with my own means and needs, or do I compare myself to others unnecessarily. Am I envious of others for what they have or do?
We do need a guide in order to make a good examination of conscience, and there are many available.
When we examine our conscience, we should firstly ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten us and also to free us from self-deception. We can pray that we may be able to see ourselves as we actually are in the sight of God.
An examination of conscience is not a time for feeling condemned or useless but a time to be moved to greater humility and a genuine desire to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness. The wonderful Sacrament of Reconciliation is precisely that: we leave knowing that we are at rights with God and have received grace to live the Christian life more completely.
The Lord spoke clear words of warning to all of us: “Unless you repent you will all perish as they did”. However, the parable of the fig tree that follows gives us hope – the gardener will not cut down the tree immediately but will give it more time to produce its fruit. We have time. Let us make use of this time to be reconciled with God.
Archbishop Julian Porteous
Sunday, 23 March 2025