Saturday – 29th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Luke 13:1-9 

Repentance and Mercy

Sycamore Tree, Jericho

Remember having to admit to your best friend that you lied to them and then saying you were sorry?  Or maybe it was when you stole that $20 bill from your dad’s wallet.  Having to face him and ask for forgiveness was the worst!

Repentance is downright difficult!  No one is comfortable admitting that they are at fault, that they have stumbled and sinned.  Repentance requires honesty and humility especially if we are admitting it to someone else.  Too often, as in today’s Gospel, we prefer to focus on the faults of others and not our own.  And it takes us back to when we were kids – it’s not my fault, it’s his!  Shifting the blame and pointing the finger at someone else! In the end, what we are doing is essentially trying to point the finger away from ourselves.

Repentance demands that we examine ourselves critically, accept that we are fallible and that change in our lives is necessary.  It reminds us that, without seeking forgiveness, we remain stuck in our spiritual life, unable to move forward, to grow and to welcome the Spirit back into our lives.

Jesus closes today’s Gospel with the story of the fig tree.  It is a reminder to us of God’s infinite mercy.  Picture Jesus here as the gardener, not willing to cut the tree down, constantly believing that there is still hope, still life in what seems to be dead.  Yes repentance is difficult but God reminds us that His forgiveness, His mercy, is endless if we only have the courage and the honesty to face our faults, recognize our sinfulness and ask for His forgiveness.

Growth is a painful process.  Great Spirit, guide my growth today and give me the courage to face my pain and ease my fear.

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