Current events—the slaughter of religious pilgrims by Pilate and the death of eighteen Galileans in the collapse of a tower—were the topic of discussion between Jesus and the people who came to him. They asked why God would permit such tragedies and if they were a punishment for sin—this being the common understanding during that time.
We might ask the same of the Lord as we witness so much suffering in our own day—the war in Ukraine, the refugee crisis, the suffering of the innocent, and indeed the personal tragedies that people experience. Jesus does not give a political interpretation to the events but a spiritual one. He says, “What happened invites you to conversion, invites you to turn to God. He urges us, “Get serious about sin before you leave this life.”
We cannot say that every tragedy or suffering is a chastisement from God for sin. Our Lord would have us know something more about God and how he relates to us poor sinners. Into the conversation, he adds a parable. It is a story about a vineyard owner, a fig tree, and a gardener. The vineyard owner is the Eternal Father who planted the tree and expects it to produce choice figs. Yet, he finds to his annoyance, that ever after three years, the tree produced no figs. It was useless and was taking up valuable space and so understandably, he ordered it to be cut down.
The fig tree is each of us who by sin have failed to produce the fruit that God desires and expects of us. The tree is each of us when we fail to see the need for any spiritual growth or change. It when we adopt the attitude that “I am fine just as I am. I haven’t murdered anyone. God is certainly happy with me,” or the attitude I once saw expressed on a bumper sticker: “I’m perfect—you adjust.” That fruitless tree stands for the many people who go to confession to confess the sins of others and fail to mention their own.
The parable takes an unexpected and hopeful turn. Thanks to the gardener, the condemned tree is granted a reprieve. The gardener pleads for a little more time, promising to tend to the tree carefully and patiently, with the hope that his efforts would result in delicious figs. The vineyard owner, the Eternal Father, who is “kind and merciful” acquiesces.
The gardener of course, is Jesus who tends to us with immense love and infinite patience. We might say that Jesus is in the “restoration” business not the “demolition” business. He invites us again and again to persevere in the work of conversion, calling us to become holy as his heavenly Father is holy. That sounds very idyllic and an impossible goal, but I take heart in the words of Pope Benedict: “Holiness does not consist in not making mistakes or never sinning. Holiness grows with the willingness to begin again and again.” A saint once said, “God does not judge Christians because they sinned but because they do not repent.” Fr. Henri Nouwen asks, “Are you reading the signs of your time as signs asking you to repent and be converted?” It is a crucial question for us especially during the Lenten Season.
