The 3rd Sunday of Lent at St Peter Church and St William Church in Naples, FL
Exodus 3, 1-8 + Psalm 103 + 1 Corinthians 10, 1-6, 10-12 + Luke 13, 1-9
February 28, 2016 at Saint Peter Church & St William Church in Naples, FL.
If taken seriously, the first part of this Gospel text is the end to any thinking that God punishes people in this life. I have never believed that, and I have been stunned too many times by people who think or say: “They got what they deserved” suggesting that some tragedy or disaster had God’s punishing hand behind it. That’s what these righteous people are suggesting to Jesus when they come up to him with that question about the slaughter of some Galileans. When you consider that these upright citizens of Jerusalem looked down on those backward Galileans as being of less value and importance than they were, you can almost feel them tense up when Jesus turns the tables on them by asking if they also think that the disaster in Jerusalem suggested that nice and upright citizens of Jerusalem were also being punished for something. … more »