The World of Wonder and Curiosity. Chima Offurum. 03/23/25.
Earlier this week, on Tuesday, March 18, four astronauts returned to the Earth after being stranded in Space for two hundred and eighty-six days. That was big news around the world. The earlier plan was to spend only ten days out there, but technical concerns twisted NASA’s plans, and the astronauts spent an additional two hundred and seventy-six days in Space. That’s about nine months in total. How did they survive the extra days? Some of you may also ask: What were they looking for in Space? Those are great questions! Brothers and sisters, there is still a lot of mystery about our world. Driven by curiosity and wonder, scientists have made many discoveries, but searching for more answers continues. That’s part of why they went into Space. I hope that everyone in the globe will benefit from the discoveries when we have them.
I chose that safe return to Earth from Space to begin my reflections on this Third Week of Lent because I found something similar in the mission of Moses, who was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, in the wilderness of the land of the Midian. Moses sighted a Burning Bush that thrilled him, and he went closer to see what was going on before he heard a voice call out to him from the fire (Exodus 3:1-15). Moses believed in the voice he heard, which introduced Himself as God, and he followed His directives through mysterious ways. He finally brought the people of Israel out from the land of Egypt into where they currently occupy today as a nation. The reading says that God told Moses that His name is Yahweh, which has remained God’s Name from Moses’ generation to our time.
Our times are included in the days of the fulfillment of God’s prophecy through Jeremiah (31:31) about a new covenant with the world. We are products of the new covenant; we also call God Yahweh. Like the people of Israel who went through the Red Sea, we also passed through the more significant symbol of the waters of Baptism to take our name. We are children of the New Covenant, and this message is central in today’s second reading (1 Corinthians 10:1-12). The point is that Jesus Christ has won our victory through His sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary. Jesus Christ is the spiritual food and drink that the people of Israel ate and drank on their journey through the unknown but knowable wilderness; we have continued to be sustained by the same food and drink in the Eucharist each time we celebrate to enable us to drive our way into the unknown but knowable future where God will continue to provide for us.
Finally, from the readings, brothers and sisters, today’s gospel from Luke (13:1-9) has one clear message to communicate to us. First, it teaches us about God’s patience so we can return and restore our positions in His House as His loving children. However, there is also a second message and a warning: we must keep our place in line or lose it! This message is embedded in the instructions of the Lenten season, especially when we received the ashes on Ash Wednesday: We must repent, or remain committed, if we have already repented, to benefit from the gains of the coming celebrations of Easter. In the same way, we must remain good people and law-abiding citizens if we want to create and benefit from the gains of a world order anchored on respect and equal opportunities for everyone.