Word to the Wise
Saturday, October 25, 2025 - Saturday in the 29th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rom 8:1-11 and Luke 13:1-9]"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?' [The gardener] 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." [Luke]
This parable follows a warning from Jesus about repentance. He refers to some contemporaneous sudden disasters in which a lot of lives were lost. The clear message is that nobody is guaranteed a tomorrow and that repentance is a present need!
I may have mentioned this before, but in the Dominican House of Studies where I was in formation oh so many years ago (1964-71), one of my fellow student brothers had a small card on his door with the words in large print: "REPENT!*" The "*" referred the reader to some smaller print at the bottom of the card that read: "If you have already repented, kindly disregard this message!" Can we ever do that?
The force of the warning seems a bit mitigated by the intervention of the gardener who seems to be a kind of optimist and wants to save the fig tree in spite of the odds against its bearing fruit. I think I have found myself in the position of the gardener at times with some penitents! In the parable, there had been no fruit on the tree for three straight years! [We have to put aside modern methods of botanical research for the moment!]. What is at issue is the need for change. Like the gardener, I have certain traditional ways to help bring change about, but I can only do so much. I'm always willing to suggest a different gardener or ask for help with the job. But the tree has to do its part!
Repentance means change! The Sacrament of Reconciliation [the gardener?] can't do the whole job of changing bad or destructive behavior. One hopes that other resources that the Lord provides through talented counselors will be sought to help "cultivate" and bring about the change that will enable the tree to bear fruit. AMEN