Alberic Jacovone OSB
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YEAR C
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT - 11.3.07
Ex. 3,1-8.13-15; 1 Cor 10,1-6.10-12; Lk 13,1-9
Jesus: terrorism & forgiveness
Terrorism
& tragedies at Jesus’ time. Today’s Gospel is unusual: it’s about people who ‘just then came to tell Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices’. Straight away we ask: What
was going on? Were there riots & freedom fighters caught in terrorist
activity? Why? & how did Jesus respond? Can tragic events be a warning at
Jesus’ time & our time?... Christians today, fail to realize that Jesus
lived in turbulent times, As pray the words of the ‘Creed’: Jesus suffered
under Pontius Pilate, died & was buried; we spend no time on Pontius Pilate,
who was 5th Governor of Rome from 27 to 37AD (In 1961, archaeologists unearthed
some “Pilate’s coins & inscriptions” in Cesarea) & was accused of
venality, violence, assaults, savage ferocity & execution of untried
prisoners... To such tactics, people responded with riots, planned terrorism
& organized protests. Pilate had 4 Legions (24,000 soldiers) under him, to
keep law & order & make sure that taxes were paid to the Empire. The
task of extracting taxes was offered to the highest bidder among wealthy
brokers, who paid in advance the agreed amount to the Empire, & extracted as
much as they wanted for themselves. The Jews hated this & kept Pilate under
constant pressure. At Jesus trial, Pilate was threatened to be reported to Rome
(Jn 19,12), & indeed some time later he was charged on many counts: 1st: to
stop some armed Samaritans, he killed all their leaders; 2nd, he used Jewish
sacred funds, to construct an aqueduct & the affair ended up in riot &
bloodshed, & as a result many people were crushed & killed. The Gospels
too mention riots & unrest. In the end Pilate was expelled from office, fell
in disgrace & committed suicide in Rome.
What
Jesus says to terrorists of all time. Terrorism starts in a culture & logic of death.
It opposes the strongholds of power that operate between rich & poor,
powerful & powerless, haves & have not... It gets fired with indignation
by this appalling injustice & moves to exterminate whatever strongholds of
power may belong to ‘enemies’, in order to establish its own kingdom of
‘terror on every side’. In the process, millions of innocent people are
caught in the middle & killed, but these do not matter, are powerless &
worth-less. Against such a culture of death, Jesus thunders his utter
condemnation: ‘If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did (he says
in today’s Gospel, & on the night of his arrest, he says: ‘Return your
sword to its place for all who take a sword by a sword will perish). If we
humans treat each other with terror, forever will we destroy one another through
eternal vendettas. To help us turn from terror, hatred & destruction, Jesus
invites us to turn to thoughts of solidarity & forgiveness: own your
personal wrongdoings, & imitate the compassionate love of God our creator,
who in spite of our ingratitude, remains full of tenderness for the godly &
ungodly alike. Today’s Prayers for 3rd of Lent, focus on forgiveness: 1st, we
acknowledge that Jesus taught us to overcome
our feelings of anger, hatred & aggression by prayer, fasting &
works of mercy; then we acknowledge that as we ourselves need to be forgiven
& ask for forgiveness, then we ask for strength
to forgive one another ( just as we pray in the Our Father: ‘forgive
our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us).
Finally, we make a wish: may we always choose to live out the path of
forgiveness that our loving Father in heaven has set for us all. And we enjoy
healing & forgiveness, may we all -as your Church- be brought together in
unity & peace. Could this be the
“theme” of our 2nd Rite of Reconciliation this year?
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