March 23: The Day of the Lord

The two events that Jesus refers to at the beginning of this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 13, 1-9) could easily distract us and lead us away from the point of the parable He tells. Those events could lead us to start the ongoing and never-ending question of “why bad things happen to good people.” Notice that Jesus never addresses that question. Instead, He raises those two situations about innocent people dying to remind us that “the end” can come for anyone unexpectedly, whether we are good or not. Everyone sins and everyone dies. The issue here is what happens before the end comes – and the parable Jesus shares is all about that!
Indeed, the parable which Jesus shares is about a fruitful life. And there is an interesting comparison possible between the two men in the story, certainly worth some thought. The owner, who seems rather cold and greedy, cares nothing for the tree. He is only interested in the product: figs. Chopping the tree down was an easy option in his estimation. He feels he didn’t have to do anything to help the tree. The gardener, on the other hand, is different. He took care of things and seems to be a lover of fruit trees. He cared about the tree, knew about the tree, and did not give up on it – willing to put some of himself into it. He seems to know that things become precious to us not just because of what we get out them, but also because of what we put into them. What are we willing to put into the coming week to continue our Lenten journey in a fruitful way?