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The Third Sunday in Lent
Daily Scripture Passage: Luke 13:1-9

I once worked with a Rector who decided one Lent that the parish clergy should choose a favorite character from the passion and resurrection accounts in the Gospels. He then asked that we all perform a soliloquy as that character.

I immediately chose St. Thomas. He has always been personally so special to me and I rather suspect that is the case for many. Thomas gives us permission to do what we know we do. We doubt. There are all sorts of things about which we doubt. We are blessed with curious minds, and the ability for thinking critically, so of course, we doubt.

Curiosity and doubt propel science and sharpen the mind. They inspire art and music.

Curiosity and doubt aid in our pursuit of truth.

Thomas was open and completely transparent with his doubt. He wanted to see the wounds in Jesus to believe. I actually believe the depth of Thomas’s faith is seen in his doubt. Thomas wasn’t a sceptic. He was a beloved follower of Jesus seeking proof of something he already hoped, and at his core knew to be true.

We can actually see ourselves in Thomas. We know the wounds were real, we know the end of the story. We know that after Good Friday comes Easter.

Luke’s Gospel offers the parable of the fig tree, reminding us that we must tend to the soil of our hearts and minds. Nurture and feed the soil of our relationships with God and each other. Lent is that perfect opportunity to reflect on loving more in each and every relationship we have with another person. We are going to need each other now perhaps more than ever, and the love of Christ in each of us will ultimately help us to flourish and prevail.