The Big Seven

Homily for the Third Sunday of Lent, Year C
Exodus 3.1-8a, 13-15 Psalm 103 1 Corinthians 10.1-6, 10-12 Luke 13.1-9

Pride. Anger. Lust. Sloth. Greed. Envy. Gluttony.

The Seven Deadly Sins, they’re called, or the Seven Capital Sins. From these seven come all of our failures and our mistakes. From these seven, we become experts at turning inward toward ourselves. From these seven, the temptations of the world push God more and more out of our lives. We can all relate. We know the gluttony that comes with the third helping of ice cream as a late-night dessert or the constant munch of snacks throughout the day. We know the sloth of being able to change channels with the remote control without even looking at the buttons, because we spend so much time sitting and watching TV. We know the pride that convinces us that we deserve the good things in life, even at the expense of the people in Haiti or Uganda or even other parts of our own town. We know the anger that boils inside when we get behind the slowest person ever in the line at the grocery store. And if you think that you are immune from these big seven, then you must be dead or not human or so filled with pride that you have become spiritually blind. Simply because of our human nature, we constantly battle the Seven Deadly Sins.

Taken as a whole, what these big seven do to us make it difficult for us to bear fruit. If we are filled with envy, or jealousy, of other people’s possessions, then it is difficult for us to develop the habit of generosity; instead of confidently sharing what we have with others, we try to get more ourselves. Or if we are so lazy and slothful that we do not nurture our souls and spend time getting to know God, then it is difficult for us to commit to the effort to evangelize, to spread the Good News. In many ways, we’re like the fig tree in the parable Jesus tells us today. Our inward-focused lives keep us barren, unable to bear fruit, unable to work for justice, unable to love others in more than a superficial way. Our sin enslaves us, and it is often impossible for us to break free on our own. We need help.

And that’s where the gardener comes us. In the parable, the gardener convinces the owner of the fig tree to let it live, to give it another chance. During the next year, the gardener will fertilize it and nurture it and give it special care – everything that is needed for the tree to bear fruit. The gardener, of course, is Jesus himself. And he does the same thing in our lives. He provides the fertilizer – the grace of the sacraments – that we need to help us grow in holiness, humility, generosity, and love. He nurtures us with his word in Scripture, with the support of a community of faith, with the example of people who have succeeded in bearing great fruit for the Kingdom of God. By ourselves, we are doomed to destruction. But with the Master Gardener at work, we have everything we need to bear abundant fruit.

But there is a condition that the gardener gives to the owner. After the tree has been fertilized and nurtured, if it still does not bear fruit, it can be cut down. Christ offers us the grace of the sacraments and the support of the Church – he gives us everything we need to root out the big seven in our lives. But if we build a fence around us so that he can’t get in, or if we refuse to cooperate with his tender care for us, then our fate will be the same as the tree that does not bear fruit. On our part, we must open our hearts to God’s love. We’re still going to be human – we’ll still make mistakes – but the more we allow God in, the less the big seven will rule our lives, and the more fruit we will bear, as we look forward in hope to God’s kingdom.