The Third Sunday of Lent - Are you Curious?

The Scripture readings for the third Sunday of Lent (Year C), advances a belief that one can have a personal relationship with the Divine.

Moses sees a bush burning but is not being consumed.  He is curious.  He moves closer.

He hears a voice call his name “Moses”.   To hear one’s name is to believe that one is known. The voice warns Moses that he treads on holy ground and is to remove his shoes.

During this intimate encounter Moses learns his mission in life and learns the name of the Master pursuing him, “I AM, WHO I AM”.  This Divine voice identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 

The personal relationship established in this encounter will require trust and faithful obedience if it is to continue. God reveals Himself to Moses; the encounter begins with simple curiosity but evolves into an extraordinary exchange with the Divine.  Moses must now have a heart that remains humble and faithful to God.

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells the story of another tree-the fig tree that is not bearing fruit.  In his parable, the owner of the vineyard wants to cut down the fig tree, but a compassionate gardener pleads for more time to nurture it before cutting the tree down. 

Everything is being done to bring the tree to the fulfilment of its purpose for being that is, to bear fruit.  The owner of the vineyard grants one more year of life to the fig tree.  Jesus is teaching a lesson of mercy to his disciples.  By gratefully receiving the mercy of the owner of the vineyard and accepting the compassionate care of the gardener the fig tree is given extra time to bear fruit. In a personal relationship with the Divine each is given the gift of mercy and time to bear good fruit.

Now is there a tree in your life that can pique your curiosity and draw you into an extraordinary relationship with the Divine?

-Sister Elaine Cole, CSJ

Images: Unsplash: Andy Watkins/Michal Hlaváč/

WORLD WATER DAY 2025 - OUR JOURNEY AND OUR FOCUS

Periodically I receive reports of how our CSJ in Canada Congregational donations are supporting access to clean drinkable water around the world. I am so very grateful that we are participants in change globally by helping to dig water wells, to restore water towers, expand water lines, and provide water filtration systems, and in Canada collaborating and advocating for water protection with Indigenous peoples.

In 2017 we became a Blue Community along with our sister congregations in and with the Federation. Our pledge was to promote the recognition of water and sanitation as human rights, to promote safe water and wastewater services, and to phase out the sale of bottled water at municipal events (because water sold this way becomes a commodity for profit).

This year to celebrate World Water Day, March 22, the United Nations’ focus is on the preservation of glaciers.

The UN agencies in charge of the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation have drawn up a dozen key messages, highlighting the importance of glaciers worldwide.

We cite only one message in this blog:

“A glacier is a large accumulation of mainly ice and snow, that originates on land and flows slowly through the influence of its own weight. Glaciers are found on every continent. They exist in many mountain regions and around the edges of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. There are more than 275 000 glaciers in the world, covering an area of around 700 000 km². Glaciers are considered as important water towers,  storing about 170 000 km3 of ice, which amounts to approximately 70% of the global freshwater. Glaciers are a source of life, providing freshwater to people, animals and plants alike.”

With global warming our glaciers are melting. The melting changes life on earth as we know it: sea levels rise, fresh water is added to the oceans, less salt disturbs the gulf stream and changes its pattern. Watch this 4 minute video from National Geographic, Climate 101: Glaciers.

The relationship of human activity and the gift of water is a fine-spun web. Let’s learn all we can about how our actions affect the gift of water. This year focus on glaciers as we mark World Water Day 2025!

-Sister Loretta Manzara, on behalf of the Federation Blue Community Steering Committee

Image: Sime Basioli/Unsplash