Posted by The WORD in other words (2009) by Father Isabelo San Luis SVD – Christ the King Seminary, Quezon City
Saturday 29th Week in Ordinary Time
The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 caused great devastation in Zambales, where it is located, and in neighboring Pampanga. At the time, some people interpreted the disaster as part of God’s wrath against what they regarded as two “cities of sin” situated in those provinces.
This tragedy is a contemporary event that may help us understand the incidents mentioned in today’s Gospel.
Like the people in the Gospel, we may sometimes be tempted to think that victims of destructive calamities are being punished for their sins. But Jesus warns us against making such judgments. When he was told about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices, Jesus asked: “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did” (Luke 13:2-3).
Jesus gives the same response concerning the eighteen people who died when the tower of Siloam fell upon them (Luke 13:4-5). His message is clear: the tragedy of others should not lead us to judge their sinfulness, but to examine our own lives. No one but God truly knows what is in the human heart, for “the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
Jesus’ warning is followed by the parable of the fig tree. The owner found that the tree had borne no fruit for three years and wanted it cut down. But the gardener pleaded: “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it” (Luke 13:8).
The parable conveys a beautiful message: God is patient with us. He gives us opportunities to repent, to change, and finally to bear fruit. As Saint Peter reminds us, “The Lord is not slow about his promise… but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
God’s patience, however, should not become an excuse for postponing conversion.
There is a story about a man living in the hurricane-prone suburbs of Florida. One day, he went to a department store downtown and bought a fine barometer. Delighted with his purchase, he hurried home and proudly hung it on his living-room wall. But what he saw made him angry: the barometer indicated “Hurricane!”
Convinced that he had been sold a defective instrument, he returned to the department store, handed the barometer to the sales clerk, and complained, “What kind of barometer did you sell me? I put it up in my house, and what do you suppose it registered? Hurricane!”
The clerk assured him that the instrument was brand-new. But the man insisted: “I don’t like this instrument. I want a replacement.”
“No problem,” the store owner replied. “I’ll replace it.”
The man then headed home with his new barometer. But when he arrived, his house had already been blown away.
The problem was not the barometer. The problem was that the man refused to accept its warning.
Sometimes we can behave in the same way before God. Instead of listening to his Word when it reveals something that needs to change within us, we may try to silence the warning, cover up our faults, justify ourselves, or blame others. Yet Scripture tells us: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8).
The Gospel therefore invites us not to spend our time asking whether other people deserve the misfortunes that come upon them. Rather, it invites each of us to ask: What is God saying to me? What needs to change in my life? What fruit is the Lord waiting for me to bear?
The fig tree reminds us that God is merciful and patient. He continues to cultivate the soil of our hearts and gives us another opportunity to bear fruit. But the Gospel also reminds us that the time given to us should not be wasted.
Instead of covering up our faults or blaming others, let us courageously face the truth about ourselves and take the necessary steps toward conversion. “Bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8).
God, in his mercy, gives us another chance. The question is: What will we do with the chance he has given us?
