Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15/ 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12/ Luke 13:1-9
Last week was a week of happenings, if we had been aware of it, if we had noticed it.
If we ask ourselves “ What happened last week?”, then we might probably remember that, among other things, the month of February ended last week.
Well, it was a unique happening because February has lesser days than the rest of the other months, in that it has only 28 days.
And along with that we may also remember other things. It was on the last day of February, the 28th of February, that the Pope stepped down from the papacy.
So it means that now, we don’t have a pope! But of course, with that, the cardinals are now preparing themselves for the conclave to elect the next pope.
So we don’t have a pope now. And what is our reaction to that?
Well, we can be nonchalant about it. But most of us would be aware of it. And we would have noticed what the media had said about the resignation of the pope.
As a matter of fact, he is the first pope after more than 600 years to resign from office, so it’s really something for the media to talk about.
The media has also speculated on the many possible reasons as to why the pope suddenly resigned from papacy.
The Pope Emeritus, as he is now called, has only said that he is doing this for the good of the Church. What that really means we will probably get to know along the way.
But we know what he is going to do. He has moved to the summer residence and is spending his days in prayer.
And that should already make us notice something, and become aware of something.
As the Pope Emeritus steps down from the papacy, he steps into something else and in doing so he is also showing us something.
From the highest seat of governance in the Church, he is taking up the simple life of a “pilgrim” and the humble life of prayer.
So the Pope Emeritus is telling us something and teaching us something. Are we aware of it? Do we notice it?
Well, to put it clearly, the Pope Emeritus is showing the Church and the world, the need for prayer in order to bring about the sense of the sacred and the awareness of the presence of God.
Indeed, awareness of the sacred and the presence of the divine begins with noticing the signs.
In the 1st reading, we heard about how Moses noticed a blazing bush but it was not burnt up.
He went on to examine this strange happening and then it was there he encountered the sacred and the divine.
And the Lord told him to take off his shoes because even the ground that he was standing on is holy ground.
Yes, awareness of the sacred and the divine presence begins with noticing the signs.
And it is through simple and humble prayer that we will look, we will see and we will slowly notice.
Moses noticed the strange and unusual sight of the blazing bush that was not consumed by the fire.
Yes, it is easy to notice the strange and the unusual. Almost anyone can notice the strange and unusual.
Yet it takes prayer to open the eyes to notice the usual and ordinary signs and see beyond.
And maybe that’s our problem. We look and we see, but we don’t see beyond.
And that was also the problem with those people who told Jesus about the tragedy of those Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with that of their sacrifices.
They were probably thinking that those Galileans had committed some grave sin that resulted in their tragic death.
But Jesus refuted that thinking. Yet He also brought them to see further and to look deeper.
Every tragedy can also be a sign to us that life is fragile and that we have to set our lives straight.
Yes, the Lord is merciful and compassionate and He patiently calls us to repentance.
But it also means that the call to repentance is “Now!” and the time for “second chances” may just run out.
Well there is a story about the 28th February. It is a special day of a couple, Alan and Nelly, because it was the date of their wedding.
But from being a loving couple, they have become quarrelsome and taking each other for granted.
It was a vicious cycle of quarreling and reconciling. Although they still loved each other, they have lost the awareness of each other’s needs and also too busy to notice it.
So on the 28th February, Nelly was at home and waiting for Alan to return from work.
But Nelly was expecting Alan to forget about their wedding anniversary and come back late from work.
But at 6pm, the door bell rang, and when Nelly opened the door, there was Alan with a bouquet of flowers in one hand a box of her favourite chocolates in the other.
Nelly was overjoyed that Alan remembered their wedding anniversary and they hugged and sat down and talked about their beautiful times together and making up for their quarrels.
Then the phone in the bedroom rang, and Nelly sighed and went to answer the phone.
A man on the other side to the line asked : Hello, I am calling from the police station. Is this the residence of Mr. Alan?
Yes it is.
There was an accident and a man died. We got the number from the man’s wallet. We need you to come over and identify the body.
Nelly’s heart sank. But … but ... my husband is here with me!
Sorry, madam. The accident took place at 5pm when the man was crossing the road.
Nelly was about to lose her senses. How could this happen? She had heard about these kind of things. The soul of the person comes to meet you before it departs. She ran out to the hall.
And Alan was not there! Could this have happened to Alan? Could it be true? Has he left her forever? Nelly sank to the floor. Oh, if only she had been given another chance, she would have mended all her faults and loved Alan deeper.
Suddenly there was a noise from the bathroom. Then Alan came out.
When he saw Nelly on the floor, he asked, “What happened my dear? Oh, I forgot to tell you that my wallet was stolen while I was on my way home.
Well, just a story to remind us that we should never waste a moment to be aware and to notice all the chances to make life beautiful.
We cannot go back to the start and make a new beginning, but we can start now to make a new and beautiful ending.
The Pope Emeritus has resigned and the papacy is left vacant for the time being. He has stepped down from the papacy but yet that is not all.
He has stepped into a life of prayer and he has given us a sign and we must notice it and pay heed to it.
And the sign is that with prayer, we can start now and make a new and beautiful ending for ourselves, for the Church and for the world.
Yes, the Pope Emeritus has given us that sign. Let us join him in prayer to pray for the Church and for the next pope.