3rd Sunday of Lent Year C
Sunday March 23, 2025
Mass Readings for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C
- First Reading – Exodus 3:1-8A, 13-15: “I have come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
- Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 103: “The Lord is kind and merciful.”
- Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12: “God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert. These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did.”
- Gospel – Luke 13:1-9: “Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. Jesus said to them in reply, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!'”
If your parish is doing the RCIA scrutinies, use the readings for Year A instead.
Themes for the Mass Readings for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C
The readings for the 3rd Sunday of Lent for Year C are a call to repent and return to the Lord. The first reading tells of how Moses encountered God in the burning bush. The psalm sings of God’s kindness and mercy. In the second reading Paul tells us to learn from the past.
And in the gospel Jesus warns people to change their ways. He also tells the parable of the fig tree. God gives us many opportunities to grow, but we must not resist his efforts to help us mature in faith.
- What needs to change in our lives
- Why do people suffer?
- Who is God?
- Sacrament of Reconciliation
See the Homilies and Reflections section and the More Thoughts section for further expansion on these readings and some reflection questions for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C.
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Resources for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C
Bad Stuff: A Lesson Plan on Suffering and Evil
This Bad Stuff lesson plan on suffering and evil will help youth understand that God does not cause bad things to happen to us. But he wants us to be prepared for bad stuff when we encounter it.
Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)
Consider going to reconciliation as a family or with youth group or youth ministry. And then do something afterwards to celebrate this beautiful gift of grace from our Lord. Go out for pizza together or something similar.
Newspaper Tower Challenge Game
This is a teambuilding game. Groups of youth will be given a limited number of supplies. Then they use their creativity to build the tallest newspaper tower in a limited amount of time. It ties in with the tower falling in the Gospel.
Praise the Goodness of God
This prayer praising God’s goodness and mercy is based on Psalm 103, which is the responsorial psalm for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C.
Lenten Ideas for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C
Make Blessing Bags for the Homeless
Almsgiving is one of the traditional Lenten practices. One way to give to the less fortunate is to make blessing bags for the homeless. These care packages can be given to a local homeless shelter or outreach program to be distributed to their clients. You can also keep blessing bags in your car to distribute to any homeless members of the community you encounter in your daily life
Post a Religious Message to Social Media
Some people fast from social media during Lent. This can be a very effective way to regain wasted time. But if you are not fasting from social media, consider posting an inspirational message. This is a really good Lenten practice for teenagers and adults to try.
See More Lenten Ideas
See specific ideas for practicing prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during the Lenten season.
Homilies and Reflections for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C
Why the Burning Bush is Such Good News
From Bishop Robert Barron. God appears in a burning bush, a bush on fire but not consumed. God is present to it in the most powerful way, but nothing of the bush has to give in order for God to work with it and through it. When the true God comes close, things are not destroyed; in fact, they become radiant and beautiful.
A Tale of Two Trees
Also from Bishop Barron. Today’s scriptures for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C present stories of two trees: the burning bush, that represents the reality of a soul that is receptive to God’s presence, and the fig tree, which represents God’s presence resisted and refused.
A Transformation of Lives
Lent should be for us like the season of reprieve given to the fig tree, a grace period in which we let “the gardener,” Christ, cultivate our hearts, uprooting what chokes the divine life in us, strengthening us to bear fruits that will last into eternity.
Don’t Give Up
Jeff Cavins tells us that these readings recall the Israelites’ days in the wilderness and the parable of the fig tree. Never give up on the Lenten journey, because God doesn’t give up on us.
More Thoughts for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C
God does not cause suffering, people and circumstances do. The people whom Pilate killed died because of an evil ruler’s wrath. Those who died in the tower collapse were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bad things can happen to good people.
But Jesus is calling for repentance when talking about these incidents. We don’t know when our end is coming. These people may have not been right with God when they died. Bad things can also happen to bad people.
We might want to see justice happen in our own lifetimes. We want to see good people rewarded. We want to see bad people punished. But the parable of the fig tree shows us that God is tending to humanity. He is still hoping we will bear fruit. So divine justice is not here yet.
Thus the call to repentance. At some point, the time for judgement will come. We must turn away from sit and turn back to God. We must be willing to let God transform us, even though it might mean cutting away some things we don’t want to let go of. Then we can grow into the fig trees God envisions.
Reflection Questions
- What needs to be pruned away in my life?
- Have I recieved gifts in my life which I don’t deserve?
- How am I allowing God to transform my life during this Lenten season?
Frequently Asked Questions
Social Media Graphic for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C
These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.
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