Reflection for October 22 Saturday of the 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. 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.’”

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Reflection:

The story is told about a sinful man who was counseled to repent from his sins and walk away from it completely. However, the man did not listen to the wise counsel, he persisted on doing his sinful ways until he met a sudden end.  

What will happen to us if we would not walk away from our sinfulness? Sooner or later there will be punishment and there will be reckoning or payback. This is the normal cycle of life; if we refuse to walk away from all of our sinfulness there shall be punishment. If punishment will not catch up with us here in this world it will surely get hold of us in the afterlife.  

In our gospel, Jesus told those who were listening to Him to repent while they have the luxury of time. Because if they would not repent something very bad may happen to them. Same as what happened to the Galileans who were killed by Pilate and the eighteen people who perished when the tower of Siloam fell upon them.     

This is how great the love of God for us, He will continuously call upon us to repent from all of our sinfulness. Why? Because as much as possible Jesus wants us to be saved from the severe punishment of hell. Jesus will give us every opportunity to come back to Him no matter the sins that we have committed.  

But at the end of the day, it’s still in our hands if we would listen to this call of Jesus or not. Let us say we listened to this call of repentance, what would happen to our lives? There would be essential transformation in our lives: From a chaotic to a peaceful life and from a life of sin to a peaceful life free from sin.  

Would you listen to this call of Jesus? - Marino J. Dasmarinas