Gospel: John 8:1–11
Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, do not sin any more.

At this point in the Lenten season we may need to recognize and experience both God’s justice and God’s mercy. By confessing our sinfulness and determining to avoid sin, we bear witness to the justice of God. By accepting the forgiveness of our sins and by determining to forgive those who have offended us, we bear witness to God’s mercy.

We focus earnestly during Lent on becoming “new creations”. The Crucifix is prominently displayed and Stations of the Cross are offered regularly. For most of us, our daily lives proceed with perhaps a few extra minutes of quiet prayer at home or at church.

Gospel: Luke 15:1–3, 11–32
My son, you are with me always; everything I have is yours

All I have to worry about is whether right now I have a loving relationship with God and with all those around me through whom I come in contact with him.

God is mysterious but not malicious

Gospel: Luke 13:1–9
But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

Jesus’ parable offers tolerance and patience before judgment. It is a good parable for Lent and it isn’t so much a threat as it is a grace: the year’s extension for the fig tree is a grace, because it offers reprieve with time to become fruitful; the warning is also a grace, because it can shake us out of our torpor and stir us to do something.

During the course of the centuries, Lent’s purpose and meaning hopped the track as its main focus moved to penance to giving up something, to fasting. By defining penance and fasting as Lent’s exclusive purpose, we lost what it was really all about.