MERCY AND JUSTICE OF GOD - 03/20/22 (Third Sunday of Lent)

Luke 13;6-9

6 And He told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, `Lo, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?' 8 And he answered him, `Let it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put on manure. 9 And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

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Blessed Sunday! Today, Jesus speaks of the parable of the barren fig tree. In this parable, we see both the mercy and justice of God. The man who had a fig tree was always looking for its fruit for three years, and he did not see anything. Even if the tree deserved to be cut down, he waited for another year if it would bear fruit or not. Even if we deserve eternal punishment because of our grave sins in the past, God remains merciful and patient with us. He focuses more on the fact that we are His children who need to be healed from our spiritual illnesses. Despite the fact that our sins offend Him, He still grants us life for us to repent of our sins and be united with Him. Even if we scandalized people in the past and influenced them to sin, He can still make us instruments to lead more souls to Him if we repent of our sins. 

However, overconfidence can hinder us from entering heaven, the promised land. Some people believe they have the freedom to do anything they want because they think that all of their sins will be forgiven anyway at the end of their lives. Others think that their purpose is to seek worldly happiness and pleasures, not to follow God's will and commandments. Unfortunately, this is not an act of trust to Jesus. Rather, this is an abuse of God's mercy. In the parable, it is clear that the tree will not bear any fruit any longer, it will be cut down. We should take the warnings of Jesus seriously because He is a Righteous Judge. He reveals to us these warnings for us to have true repentance of our sins and to avoid spiritual death. 

This is not just a call to be faithful to our beliefs as Catholics. It is also a revelation that speaks of the importance of remaining on guard in our faith. As we practice our faith as Catholics, we need to persevere in the pursuit of holiness. This can be done by frequenting the Sacraments such as the weekly Mass. If we have grave sins, we should immediately seek the mercy of God in the sacrament of confession. If we only have sins or faults that are not grave, we can also go to the Sacrament of confession every month or twice a month, if possible. After examining our conscience and knowing our sins, we should depend on God's graces for our resolutions to avoid sinning. We will bear the fruit of virtues by strengthening our sacramental and prayer life.

How is our disposition when we see the warnings of God? Do we take them lightly or seriously? Our experiences when we were enslaved by our sins should keep us determined to trust solely in the mercy of God, not in our own strength. We do not know the hour of our death. As such, let's always persevere in holiness and do what is pleasing to our Lord no matter how difficult it is. Jesus will give us confidence in Him every time we recognize our weaknesses, and He will exalt the humble souls to heaven by His merciful love. 

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic