Last week’s Lenten Mission by Father Kevin Bazzel was a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect the virtue of Hope in our lives. Fr. Bazzel gave us all some great things to reflect upon for the rest of our season of Lent (and for our lives).
Our gospel today reminds us that we often think in the same way as the apostles - when something tragic happens to us, we are tempted to look at our lives to see if we have done anything wrong. We make statements like, “If only I had not been speeding, the accident would not have happened. God is punishing me for my recklessness.” Our immediate response to such a statement should be “No, that is not how God does things.” We may not have the answer as to the “why” of suffering, but we can be sure that it is not a punishment from God. Difficult situations are not God’s way of shaking a finger at us and saying, “Naughty person. Just watch, I will get back at you.” For whatever reason, we often think of God as a vengeful God when things go wrong in our lives. We can so easily slip into the mode of “I am being punished for being a bad person.” The gospel today reminds us that that is not the case.
Jesus asks his disciples, “Do you think that these accidents occurred because the people involved were greater sinners than all others?” He then answers his own question. “By no means,” he says. We are invited to make that answer our own whenever we are tempted to feel that God is punishing us when something bad happens to us. Jesus is very clear that whether we are blessed with good fortune or struck by disaster, it is not happening because of the state of our souls.
In the parable of the fig tree, the gardener is Christ. The owner of the fig tree represents the values of the world. The worldly wise advise that if some operation fails to make a profit, get rid of it, and put the money in something that will bring a return on the investment. The gardener suggests another solution. Rather than cutting down the fig tree, give it another chance. If after more time this does not work, only then should the fig tree be cut down and thrown away.
The way of the gardener is the way of Jesus, encouraging us to work and tend the soil of our souls. Jesus is patient. He is willing to give us more time. He is merciful and understanding. But just as in the parable of the fig tree, our time to produce fruit is not open ended. The gardener had a year of grace to yield a harvest before the owner would do away with the tree.
We do not know how long we have. The time to be receptive to God’s grace – his transforming love – is now! This is all the more reason to turn to Christ and open our hearts to let him pour his love into us during these weeks of Lent. As a reminder, our Lenten Penance Service is on Tuesday, April 1st beginning at 6:00 P.M. There will be 8 priests to assist with confessions that night. Please plan to attend.