Stations of the Cross. (2025-03-23, Lent 3rd Sunday)

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 [v.3]   Homily – March 23, 2025 /  3^rd Sunday Lent  ● Exodus 3:1-8a ●  Psalm 103 ●  1 Corinthians 10:1-6,10-12 ● + Luke 13:1-9 ● 

Title:    Living Stations of the Cross: A Reflection on Luke 13:1-9

[__01_]Witnessing the Living Stations of the Cross

Recently, on Friday, March 14, I found myself seated where you are now, facing the altar, as I witnessed a presentation of the Living Stations of the Cross. This dramatic play was performed by our Confirmation Religious Education students under the guidance of our dedicated teachers and volunteers.

 To our students—thank you. Your efforts went beyond mere compliance with your teachers; you collaborated with one another to bring this story to life. Through your performance, you invited all of us to walk alongside Jesus in our own Lenten journey.

 [__02_] The Lenten Sacrifice.   The 40 days of Lent are a time of preparation. We fast, abstain from meat on Fridays, and give up conveniences to focus on spiritual growth. However, sacrifice requires motivation and energy.

     Our young students demonstrated this beautifully. They spent two full hours here on a Friday evening—perhaps hungry, perhaps tired after a full week of school —yet they gave their time to enact the Passion of Christ. This act of devotion was its own form of fasting, an offering of their time and effort in service of our faith. We all have limited time!

 

[__03_] The Limited Time of Christ on Earth

 

Jesus’ Passion and Death remind us that He, the eternal Son of God, had a limited time on earth. Though His divine nature is everlasting, His earthly ministry was brief. He chose to be vulnerable, accepting suffering and death not for His own sins, but for ours.

 

His self-sacrifice teaches us the value of time. Jesus had only a few short years to teach, heal, and redeem, and He used them fully. We too have a finite number of days to turn to God and live according to His will.

 

[__04_] Jesus: The Star Who Suffers

 

There is a paradox in the Passion story. In the Living Stations of the Cross, Jesus is the central figure, yet He is the one who suffers and dies. While others live, He alone bears the burden of our sins.

 

On Good Friday, Isaiah the prophet foretells this sacrifice: “He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins. Upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, by his stripes we were healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

 

The Stations of the Cross remind us of Jesus’ suffering: He falls once, twice, a third time—yet He rises each time, carrying His cross forward. Actually, the 3 steps leading to every Catholic altar symbolize these falls, reminding us that Jesus continued onward despite His suffering, in his limited time.

 

[__05_] Common View of Life and Death

The notion that life is a fleeting drama is not new. William Shakespeare famously wrote in As You Like It:

“All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.”

 

Shakespeare describes old age as a period of decline, a time of losing everything. Jesus, too, lost everything—His friends, His dignity, even His clothing. But is this the true way to view life and death? Is life simply about accumulating and then losing material possessions?

 

[__06_] The Gifts of Aging

 

While aging often comes with challenges, it also brings gifts. Sometimes, though, we resist these gifts because we see dependence as a weakness.

 

My father once shared an experience at work. After many years in one place, he was relocated to a new office with many new co-workers who didn’t know him. At a morning meeting, he stood in the back – along with several others -  because there weren’t enough chairs. A younger colleague offered him a seat, but he declined, finding this form of “kindness” to be excessive.  “No thanks, I’m good.”

This moment highlights how we equate strength with independence.  I don’t want a chair when I can stand. Yet Jesus teaches us that true strength is found in reliance on God and in serving one another.

[__07_] Gospel’s Message on Life and Death

The Gospel passage from Luke 13:1-9 challenges common assumptions about life and death. Biblical scholar John Bergsma explains that in Jesus’ time, people often viewed a tragic death as a sign of divine judgment. But Jesus turns this thinking upside down.

 

“Jesus is rebuking a tendency among the [Jewish people] of his day, including his disciples, to see one’s fate in death, whether favorable or unfavorable, as a divine assessment of the righteousness of one’s life. In the kingdom of heaven, things are reversed. Those who die in persecution may in fact be ‘blessed’ (Matthew 5:10-12).”

Today, we may not think in these exact terms, but we have our own biases. We often equate a person’s worth with fame or wealth.

Consider that when a celebrity dies very suddenly, the world takes notice, as defined by CNN, TikTok, X (Twitter). You know where to turn. All of these channels have some tribute to the celebrity’s life and death, often based on how famous or accomplished the person was. Yet, in the eyes of God, neither wealth nor status matters. Jesus says this, do you imagine that the people who died tragically were were worse than you?

I'd like turn this around. Do you imagine that the people who die in great fame and wealth are better than you?

Sometimes we imagine they're better just because they're famous.

That's not true.

What matters is whether we are in a state of grace, prepared to meet Him.

[__08_] Walking the Stations for Ourselves and Others

We walk the Stations of the Cross during Lent not only to honor Christ but also to seek His grace. This is a time to ask God for the strength to change our lives, to turn back to His ways. It is also a time to pray for those who have already died or are dying.   Perhaps we haven't thought of someone in a while, but it's never too late to offer our prayers for the soul of a child, the soul of a brother, sister, husband or wife, mother or father, we ask God's mercy on them, just as we ask it for ourselves. Our lives are not merely performances where we exit the stage at death. Instead, through Jesus' sacrifice, we are given the opportunity to enter eternal life, and following God's commandments is not simply about obedience and compliance. This compliance is also about community. It's about collaboration. We help one another to recognize Christ's love guiding each other towards salvation. Husbands and wives are called to help each other to get to heaven. Mothers and fathers to help their children to get to heaven, and even children to help their parents to get to heaven through the saving Body and Blood of Christ, we don't simply exit as players from a stage. We are called to enter into God's eternal family.