Reflection for October 27, Saturday; Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 13:1-9

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! 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.’”

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

Will you obey this call of Jesus for repentance in the gospel?

Repentance is something that we all need to do for we are all sinners. But why is it that many of us are not willing to obey this call of Jesus? The reason behind is we don’t have the virtue of humility. Many of us have mortgaged our life to the Devil to enjoy sinful earthly pleasure.  These are the reasons why we refuse God’s call for us to repent.

The moment we repent a huge burden would immediately be removed from our heart and conscience. We will feel light and peaceful and our seamless connection with Jesus will immediately be restored. But many of us refuse to repent we instead prefer to be burdened by sin. This is the paradox of our internet and social media driven times:  Many of us prefer to embrace the devil rather than God.  

Jesus in our gospel for today is calling for a wholesale repentance not selective repentance but wholesale repentance. This simply means that we would be willing to walk away from any sinful actions and thoughts. We would completely walk away from anyone who makes us sin and who influence us to sin. – Marino J. Dasmarinas