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Gospel: Luke 13: 1-9
Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
Jesus 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.’”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Back in high school English, some of us may have read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous novel, The Scarlet Letter.
It’s the story of a young woman, Hester Prynne, who becomes pregnant out of wedlock. Shamed by her Puritan neighbors, Hester is forced to wear a scarlet “A” to remind her – and everyone in town – of her sin.
By the end of the story, the father of this young child is revealed. In a passionate dialogue with Hester, he confesses:
“Of penance I have had enough. Repentance, none at all.”
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This father’s inability to publicly claim – and love – his child was his penance. And in spite of living his life in secret, he wasn’t sorry; rather, it seems he would do it all over again.
“Of penance – of living my life in secrecy – I have had enough.”
“But repentance – of being sorry for my actions – none at all.”
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Herein lies the difference between penance and repentance.
40 days of fasting, meatless Fridays, no chocolate, no social media, no soda – or whatever we’re giving up this Lent – is enough penance for the year.
By Easter, we’ll gladly say, “Of penance, I’ve had enough!”
But what about repentance?
Repentance is more than repression. It involves an inner transformation – a change in our mind, body, and heart.
Meaning, if these penances don’t lead us to make some lasting, positive change in our lives, then what good are they?
A fruitful Lent means that we become more patient with others; more generous in spirit; more prayerful; less judgmental.
This doesn’t mean we need to make a dramatic change overnight. But without some change in our lives, then we may miss the entire point of Lent.
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives a parable about a fig tree that’s been planted, but for three years now it has borne no fruit. “So cut it down,” he says.
But before the tree is uprooted, the gardener intercedes on its behalf. “Leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. [But] if not, then you can cut it down.”
The good news is this tree gets a second chance – as we all do with God.
But if it’s ever going to bear lasting fruit, then the gardener must ask himself, “Why is this tree not bearing fruit? What needs to change?”
For example, “Is this tree receiving enough light? Is the soil – its foundation – rich in nutrients? Does the tree receive adequate water?”
Similarly, we must be planted in the right circumstances in order to bear fruit.
Like a tree, do we live in the light? Have we been bathed in the waters of baptism? Do we receive nourishment for our souls – in the Eucharist, through the Word of God, and through prayer?
Why are we bearing good fruit? Or why are we not?
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Just as a gardener expects his trees to bear good fruit, so God expects us to do the same. And Saint Paul tells us exactly what kind of fruit that should be: “The fruit of the Spirit,” he says, “is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and gentleness.”
Which of these have we grown in this Lent? Or which of these do we need to grow in?
Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Gentleness.
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Unlike Hester Prynne’s secret companion, who claimed, “Of penance I’ve had enough. Repentance, none at all.”
May we make some positive, lasting change in our lives this Lent, becoming more of the person God desires us to be.
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Image credits: (1) Look to Him and Be Radiant (2) The Scarlett Letter, medium.com (3) Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities