A call to repentance

At that time some people who were present there told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.  He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?  By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they Did!  Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?  By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”  And he told them this parable:  “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?’ He 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 13:1-9 New American Bible translation)

I love when Jesus uses parables to share a message.  It forces us to look deeper.  It’s like a puzzle we have to put together or figure out.  Like everything else, it requires work.  We have to be willing to put the work in and that is exactly what Jesus is telling us in the parable of the barren fig tree.

Through this verse Jesus is calling us to commit to change our lives to live more responsibly.  That’s what it means to repent.  There’s a sense of urgency in His message as well.  In the parable, we see the fig tree getting yet another chance to change and so it is with us – God gives us many chances to change our ways, to “cultivate” our hardened hearts in order to bear fruit which He considers satisfactory.  What fruit can we bear?  Galatians 5:22 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Contrary to these are immorality, impurity, licentiousness (promiscuity), idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of anger, acts of selfishness, dissensions (disagreements that lead to arguments), factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.  Where do you fit in?  Is there a need for repentance in your life? Is there something that needs changing or cultivating?

I am encouraged by the fact that when Jesus ascended into heaven, He did not leave us orphans.  He sent the Holy Spirit as our guide.  So we already have the tools we need to cultivate a spirit pleasing to our Lord.  Through the Holy Spirit we received the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety and awe and wonder(fear of the Lord) which are meant to help us along the way.  We just have to commit to use them.

I remember thinking that going to church on Sunday was all I needed to do to “be right” with God.  I prayed for particular things or at particular moments when I thought I needed God’s help.  I would even attempt to read the Bible from cover to cover – which never worked out very well!  I was exposed to the Bible through mass but never really challenged myself enough to open it up and really study it.   Looking back on my life, I realize that what I did was simply not enough.  I also realize that something was moving me to do more – to participate more, to read more, to pray more – to stretch my soul.  That SOMETHING was the Holy Spirit. The prompting of the Holy Spirit – we all get it, we just have to be willing to follow where it leads.  Today, as a result of my following the promptings of the Spirit, I try to attend daily mass when I can, I pray (a lot and often) not only for myself but for others, and I meditate and read the bible daily.  As a result, I can feel the transformation.

If there is one piece of wisdom I can impart on you today – it is to be aware of the prompting of the Holy Spirit – when you feel this sudden urge to go to church, or to pray or read the Bible – if you’re lead to join a group or read a particular book – don’t fight it.  If you feel the desire to change something negative about yourself – DO IT!  Don’t be discouraged by people in your life who think your NUTS for doing it.  The Spirit is guiding you to cultivate your heart.  The more you cultivate the more you’ll want to cultivate.  We have become so out of touch with our spirituality, so the journey through cultivation will not be easy, but the resulting fruit that begins to take shape is absolutely AMAZING! If you can imagine  the feeling you get when your garden starts to produce fruit after much care and cultivation – working hard to cultivate the fruit of the spirit within your soul, for me,  is a gazillion times better.

So how do we do it?  That’s why I started this blog.  Hopefully, you will find ideas and resources here that will guide you along the way to transformation.  If you have anything you wish to share, by all means do so!  Please don’t wait until tomorrow to start, don’t claim to be too busy.  Just do away with one thing during your day that keeps you from the work we are really called to do.  Are you too busy because Facebook has you hooked?  Television reality shows have you enthralled? You have money on a particular sports team to win?  If you answered yes, then I’m sorry to tell you that you have plenty of time, you just need to prioritize!  I know because I’ve done it.  So please take inventory, make a small change, then share your journey with us.  God bless you!