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.’
Lk 13:6-9
Brothers,
This week Jesus tells us the parable of the fig tree that bears no fruit. The person that owns the orchard is God the Father and the fig tree is the soul of sinners. While we are all sinners God wants us to be better. We should cultivate and fertilize our soul, purifying it so our soul can bear fruit and be pleasing to God. We cultivate and fertilize our soul by living the Commandments every day, but God like the owner of the orchard is willing to give us second chances. God has given us the gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation to purify our soul when we fail to live his Commandments.
The Gospel reading begins with Jesus warns that we need to repent our sins or our fate will be the same as those that died at the hands of Pilate. Again we are reminded of “Tempus Fugit, Memento Mori.” Time flies, remember death. We don’t know when our time on this planet will be ended and we must be ready at any time to be judged.
Are we like the fig tree that doesn’t bear fruit or have we cultivated and fertilized it so that when our earthly time comes to an end we are ready to enter God’s Kingdom?
Vivat Jesus!