Luke 13:1-9

Romans 8:1-11

Psalm 24:1b-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

Luke 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans

whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.

He 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!

Or those eighteen people who were killed 

when the tower at Siloam fell on them—

do you think they were more guilty 

than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?

By no means!

But I tell you, if you do not repent,

you will all perish as they did!”

And he told them this parable: 

“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, 

and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,

he said to the gardener,

‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree     

but have found none.

So cut it down.

Why should it exhaust the soil?’

He said to him in reply,

‘Sir, leave it for this year also, 

and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;

it may bear fruit in the future.

If not you can cut it down.’”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are kind and patient with me. Help me respond to your loving care and produce the good fruits of repentance and charity. Do not let me be discouraged by evil in the world. I trust in you and hope that you will bring me to dwell in your house all the days of my life.

Encountering the Word of God

1. If You Do Not Repent, You Will Perish: In the Gospel, we catch a glimpse of Jesus talking with his disciples about current events and news. Discussing the news with family, friends, and coworkers is one of our most common experiences. Gospel passages like this highlight the humanity of Jesus but also teach us how to view things like tragic news from a higher perspective. Some people in the crowd mention a massacre of Galileans by Pontius Pilate while they were offering sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem. And Jesus brings up the collapse of a tower in Siloam that killed 18 people. He uses these two tragedies to explain that suffering is not always a punishment for specific sins. Both tragedies teach us that we do not know the day or the hour of our death and, therefore, we need to always be ready to meet our Lord, who will judge us. One way to be prepared is to repent from our sins. As Jesus says twice: “But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”

2. The Parable of Divine Patience: Jesus illustrates the urgency of repentance with the parable of the fig tree that hasn’t produced fruit for three years. At the same time, the parable also shows that God is patient. In the parable, Jesus refers to the practice of cutting a branch from an existing fig tree and planting it. A fig tree cutting can grow 3-4 feet in its first year and can even produce some fruit in the first or second year. A fig tree that is not producing any fruit in the third year likely means something is wrong. It could be due to a lack of sunlight or unhealthy soil. The gardener in the parable convinces the owner to let the fig tree grow another year, and he’ll cultivate and fertilize the soil. But if it doesn’t bear fruit in the fourth year, it can be cut down. The three years can also refer to Jesus’ three years of public ministry. He has traveled around Galilee and Judea for three years “in search of fruit” and has found none. Yes, God is patient, but the time for repentance is coming to an end, and the time of judgment is nearing for Jerusalem, its people, and its temple.

3. Solution to the Problem of Sin: In the First Reading, Paul unveils the solution to the problem of sin laid out yesterday in Romans 7. On our own, we cannot rise above our fallen condition and do the good we ought to do. It led Paul to cry out, “Who will deliver me?” In today’s reading, from Romans 8, Paul answers that Jesus Christ will deliver us: “It is a divine solution orchestrated by the Trinity: The Father sent the Son to redeem the world from sin (8:3) and sent the Spirit to raise the world from death to new life (8:9-13). The flesh and our disordered passions pull us down, but the power of grace lifts us up.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you solved the problem of sin. We were helpless without you and could not overcome our disordered desires and temptations. With you, all things are possible. In you, I am recreated and live as a child of the Father. Lift me up through the power of your grace.

Living the Word of God: When I read or listen to the news, how can I do this in a more Christian way? How can I speak about current events with my employees as a Christian? Do I need to pray more for the politicians on both sides of the aisle? How can I align my judgments better with the Church’s social teaching? If I have a leadership role in the Church, how am I equipping the laity in my care to carry out their ministries? If I am a lay person, how am I preparing myself to serve others and preach the Word of God?