Third Sunday of Lent: Standing On Holy Ground
Franciscan Reflections From The Hermitage
Standing On Holy Ground – Third Sunday of Lent Year C – Luke 13:1-9
God said, “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground”. (Exodus 3:5)
All of us stand on ground that is holy, walking upon the dust of the earth that contains the ashes and blood of the saints, our ancestors since the genesis of the human family. From this holy ground, we are called to bring forth the fruit of abundance, life, blessing, joy, and peace.
We are called to the epiphany of wonder and awe, to sit at the edge of remembrance and mystery, and to unlearn that which had previously been our guide, but is no longer needed, no longer useful, and perhaps even complicity in the structural evils of our time. Here in the desert, we come in trepid humility to ask the questions, to listen, and to hear the answers that will open to us the quiet, powerful voice of freedom.
The Gospel today tells of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. St Ephrem the Syrian (306-373), theologian, Venerable Father, and doctor of the Church, tells us that these Galileans had been present at the feast given for Herod’s birthday at which John the Baptist had been murdered. “Since Herod had illegally killed John, Pilate sent and killed those who were present at the feast. Since he was not able to injure Herod, he destroyed his accomplice to his shame, and he left him in anger until the day of the Lord’s judgement.”
Jesus has a stark warning, repeated for emphasis: ‘these were no worse sinners than other Galileans, but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them; do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’
What was this offence? What does this warning mean for us? Both the temple of Jerusalem and the Pool of Siloam with the Pool of Bethesda were set upon Holy Ground. The Galileans killed had been celebrating with Herod, a collective participation in the political and systemic structures of oppression that perpetuated corruption, misery.
Structures of oppression are all around us, abounding to uphold the corporate hierarchies of power within the political, ideological, and religious environment. We are all guilty of this complicity, silencing opposition to these structures, silencing our own conscience. Where these evil structures compromise Holy Scripture, we are equally guilty of convoluted arguments to support our greed, warlike inclinations, and convenient scapegoats.
We are confirmed as equally guilty of this complicity as we stand upon holy ground, waving our particular banner of holiness that condemns others as less holy, less valuable, or less innocent.
Let each of us pray this Lent for that insight and grace to expose our particular prejudices, unruly emotions, and special attachments that blind us from our own collective participation in anything that tears apart the Body of Christ. Let us especially pray for those we have relegated as sinners through our lies of convenience, calumny, and detraction that destroy community and healthy social relationships.
We cannot open ourselves to receiving grace without recognizing our need for ‘living water’; by our true repentance, by confessing our complicity, and by receiving the antidote to the poison that has infected us.
Darkly hushed the early morning,
when gently calls the Lord.
“Come and walk with me awhile.”
The gentlest touch; a Lover, a friend
who speaks my name, knowing.
“The path we are to walk is steep and slippery.
But be not afraid; Trust me
I am your guide; I am your strength.
Lay your sandals aside, you are on Holy Ground.”
Word and touch;
a heart that breaks for burning Love.
The whisper of the moment,
two hearts that beat as one
two souls touch, knowing.
Too quickly turns
the dappled light of night
the darkness of the day.
O, how the heart does ache to remember every word.
Yet still remains the gift,
the promise, and the call.
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