The parable of the Fig Tree is both a challenge and a promise. God continues, in and through this holy season of Lent, to fill us with his graces and gifts. Our prayers and our sacrifices draw us closer to God as we continue to deepen our faith, hope and love. God is always cultivating us in his great love. On our part, we must recognize that now is the acceptable time to be renewed and there is an urgency to this call to conversion. The calling of Moses, in our first reading demonstrates that urgency.
 
The story of the Burning Bush and the call of Moses is one of my favorite parts of sacred Scripture. Moses is invited to stand on holy ground and experience the presence of the living God. Moses, when he goes to investigate the bush, does not expect to receive a call from God, but that is exactly what happens. Moses is chosen to deliver God’s people from bondage. When Moses askes for more information so that the people will know he is their deliverer, God reveals his Sacred Name, Yahweh, which in Hebrew means, “I will be who I will be.” God cannot be pinned down and works in mysterious ways, but He will be and always is there for us.
 
Lent is a time for us to listen to God’s voice, to discover where He is leading us. Lent is our acceptable time to be cultivated in mercy and love by our God. We prayerfully discern where we need healing. We prayerfully discern how we can better serve God and each other. We open our hearts to God’s plan for us. If we open up to our God in faith, He will, as He has always done, do great things with us, through us and for us.
 
Moses is told today that he will deliver the people from their bondage in Egypt. This is our time to deliver those held by the pain of social injustice, the burdens of illness or the hurt of a broken heart. This is our time to let go of those we hold bound in our own desire to hold a grudge or our refusal to forgive. This is the acceptable time to allow the master gardener, Jesus, cultivate in us that same unconditional love He showed by giving His life for us. God is calling us once again. Do we have the courage and commitment to listen with all our heart, mind and soul. I believe we do, we will and we can. After all, we have been cultivated in the very life of the Trinity through both word and sacrament. We may not have all the answers, but we, like Moses, go forth to be the face and the presence of God to all we meet.