Our Lady of Carter Lake Catholic Church at 3501 N. 9th Street, Carter Lake, IA 51510 US - Another Chance

Just before Christmas in 1985, our country was shocked by an air crash in Newfoundland, Canada. That crash killed more than 200 American soldiers on their way home for the Christmas holidays. A few months later, we were stunned by another tragedy when the space shuttle Challenger exploded only 74 seconds after liftoff. Seven astronauts were killed in that catastrophe. Today’s gospel gives two other examples of disasters that occurred in Jesus’ day. One of the incidents was the ruthless murder of some Galileans while they were in the middle of their Temple sacrifices. The victims were probably political agitators and Pilate silenced them. The other incident was a construction accident which happened near the Temple during the building of a water aqueduct. Apparently it was a project hated by the Jews because Temple funds were stolen by Pilate to finance it. These two incidents are brought up because the Jews presumed that those who were killed were being punished by God for their sins. But Jesus denies this. Instead, he asserts that what really destroys life is our unwillingness to repent and change our lives. Jesus says, not once, but twice by way of emphasis: “Unless you repent, you will all perish as they did..” The repetition of this teaching is followed by a parable about a fig tree. Usually it takes a fig tree three years to mature and bear fruit. If it’s not producing fruit by then, it probably never will. But this tree had already been given twice the allotted number of years it takes to produce fruit, for the owner had allowed three more years to pass in fruitless expectation. Yet, the owner will give the fig tree still one more chance. His vinedressers will do even more than is necessary to help by hoeing and manuring it. All this on the grounds of a perhaps or a maybe. This parable is a perennial one for us. Every Lent God gives us one more chance to produce more fruit in our lives. God is even more generous with the opportunities he gives us to reform our lives. All of us have some areas that need changing: maybe we watch too much television, smoke too often or eat the wrong kind of food; perhaps we criticize too much, are too inpatient or too demanding; maybe we waste too much time, neglect our work or avoid unpleasant tasks. But if year after year our lives are fruitless in personal growth, sterile in prayer and empty of good works, then we are a barren fig tree. We can’t blame accidents or sickness or other people for our condition. We have to take responsibility for our own lives. Even terminal cancer patients can cultivate the will to live productively with the time they have left. For example, Jory Graham wrote a newspaper column encouraging other victims of cancer. Even amputees can take on new challenges. For example, Ted Kennedy, Jr. relearned how to ski. What destroys life in us then are not accidents or tragedies, but our unwillingness to accept difficulties and overcome them; to accept suffering and transform it. What makes our lives fruitless are not their circumstances or limitations, but our refusal to give it one more try and hoe our ground for one more year. This Lent is a season of grace. It may be our last one as it was for the people who died since last Easter. Now is the time for us to reform our lives so that they will be more productive. Now is the time to make whatever changes are necessary so that our fig tree in the Lord’s vineyard will bear more fruit in personal growth, prayer and community service.

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