God gives us a second chance
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
The Mission is a 1986 movie which tells the story of a Spanish Jesuit priest who went into the South American jungle to convert the enslaved natives who had been subjected to the cruelty of Portuguese colonials. One of the most telling scenes in this film occurs when Captain Mendoza, who had killed his brother in a fit of rage, is seen climbing a mountain with a backpack on his shoulders as an act of penance for his past sins. The backpack, which contained all the weapons of his former life as a slave merchant, was so heavy that he could not climb higher unless he gave up the back pack. He was relieved of it when one of the natives, whom he had formerly taken into slavery, forgave him and cut the rope of the backpack with a sharp knife. Thus he saved Mendoza's life, instead of taking vengeance. The backpack represents sin. We cannot carry our "packs" of sin with us. Until we repent, are forgiven and let them go, "we cannot climb to where God needs us.” This scene in the movie illustrates today’s readings, which tell us of a merciful God who wants sinners to repent.
When we talk about sins we usually come up with a list of wrongful actions people have done, murder, adultery, assault, abuse of others, fighting, lying, cheating, cursing, avoiding Mass, hurting others, and so forth. At the time of Jesus many people thought that suffering is directly connected with sinning; those who suffer, it was claimed, are being punished for their sins.
We know that tragic events occur randomly as in the case of the Galileans and the eighteen Jerusalemites and have nothing to do with the guilt or innocence of the victims. For example, a tornado that destroys a nightclub also destroys a church. An earthquake or tsunami kills the saints as well as the sinners in the affected area. Drunk drivers kill innocent people. Religious fanatics, terrorists and suicide bombers cause the untimely death of good as well as bad people. Violent people, with or without provocation, injure their loved ones. Only a few of us will have a burning-bush experience, but all of us have struggled to understand why tragedy seems to befall innocent people. What we need is to trust in divine mercy, believing that God is with us and God is on our side, even in those situations we cannot explain. Jesus' life is the clearest evidence that a person's suffering is not proof of that person's sin. While sin can lead to tragedy, every tragedy is not the result of sin.
Jesus gave the parable of the fig tree. He was pointing out the sin of uselessness. To do nothing is just as much of a sin as doing something that is wrong, and we should pay attention to that.
Useless living is very costly. A basic law of living is “Use it or lose it.” You don’t have to hurt a friend in order to destroy your friendship; all you need to do is ignore your friends. Don’t write or e-mail. Don’t call or visit. A neglected friendship will die just as much as neglect in a marriage will end it.
That fig tree was planted in a good garden, in good soil. It was cared for, fertilized, and watered. In spite of all that had been given to it, the fig tree produced nothing. The point of the parable is obvious. God has given you and me wonderful gifts. He has cared for us, tended us, and even given us the Bread of Life here on this altar. How can any one of us claim we were never given a chance? How can we claim that there was nothing we could produce, give, or share with others?
The owner of the garden wants to cut it down. He thinks this tree is wasting the soil but the gardener who looks after the tree says to let it alone for one more year. Let it alone and I will dig around it and put manure on it. I will look after it so it is given every chance to bear fruit.
The gardener does not say that he or she will cut it down. No the gardener says that you – the owner can cut it down. The gardener is not concerned about whether the tree bears fruit – the gardener is concerned about nourishing the tree so that it can bear fruit. The gardener is like God who has patience beyond what any human can imagine who waits for us – who waits for us to turn away from sin.
Jesus challenges us in today’s gospel for true repentance and reparation for our sins . I heard about a shoplifter who wrote to a department store an anonymous letter, and said, "Dear Sir, I have just become a Christian and I can't sleep at night because I feel guilty. So here's $100 that I owe you." He signed only his first name and then put a P.S. at the bottom of the letter that said, "If I still can't sleep I'll send you the rest."
The Jewish rabbis taught that repentance required five elements: recognition of one's sin as sin; remorse for having committed the sin; desisting from repeating this sin; restitution for the damage done by the sin where possible; and confession. “Confession" for the Jews had two forms: ritual and personal. One who followed these steps to teshuvá was called a "penitent." In fact, Jesus invited his Jewish listeners to such repentance. “Repent” (Greek, metanoia), implies not just regret for the past but a radical conversion and a complete change in our way of life as we respond and open ourselves to the love of God. Repentance is a statement of regret for the inner condition of our souls, with a determination to have that condition changed.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ Let us try our best to repent while we have the chance. We need to make the best use of the "second chance" God gives us. Every day is the first day of the rest of our life. Our merciful Father always gives us a second chance. The prodigal son, returning to the father, was welcomed as a son, not treated as a slave. The repentant Peter was made the head of the Church. The persecutor Paul was made the apostle to the Gentiles. During Lent, we, too, are given another chance to repent and return to our heavenly Father’s love. As we receive a second chance from God, we are also expected to give others a second chance when they ask our forgiveness. Grace is everywhere. Let us always cooperate with grace, especially during Lent. Who knows whether we will have one more chance like this?
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
The Mission is a 1986 movie which tells the story of a Spanish Jesuit priest who went into the South American jungle to convert the enslaved natives who had been subjected to the cruelty of Portuguese colonials. One of the most telling scenes in this film occurs when Captain Mendoza, who had killed his brother in a fit of rage, is seen climbing a mountain with a backpack on his shoulders as an act of penance for his past sins. The backpack, which contained all the weapons of his former life as a slave merchant, was so heavy that he could not climb higher unless he gave up the back pack. He was relieved of it when one of the natives, whom he had formerly taken into slavery, forgave him and cut the rope of the backpack with a sharp knife. Thus he saved Mendoza's life, instead of taking vengeance. The backpack represents sin. We cannot carry our "packs" of sin with us. Until we repent, are forgiven and let them go, "we cannot climb to where God needs us.” This scene in the movie illustrates today’s readings, which tell us of a merciful God who wants sinners to repent.
When we talk about sins we usually come up with a list of wrongful actions people have done, murder, adultery, assault, abuse of others, fighting, lying, cheating, cursing, avoiding Mass, hurting others, and so forth. At the time of Jesus many people thought that suffering is directly connected with sinning; those who suffer, it was claimed, are being punished for their sins.
We know that tragic events occur randomly as in the case of the Galileans and the eighteen Jerusalemites and have nothing to do with the guilt or innocence of the victims. For example, a tornado that destroys a nightclub also destroys a church. An earthquake or tsunami kills the saints as well as the sinners in the affected area. Drunk drivers kill innocent people. Religious fanatics, terrorists and suicide bombers cause the untimely death of good as well as bad people. Violent people, with or without provocation, injure their loved ones. Only a few of us will have a burning-bush experience, but all of us have struggled to understand why tragedy seems to befall innocent people. What we need is to trust in divine mercy, believing that God is with us and God is on our side, even in those situations we cannot explain. Jesus' life is the clearest evidence that a person's suffering is not proof of that person's sin. While sin can lead to tragedy, every tragedy is not the result of sin.
Jesus gave the parable of the fig tree. He was pointing out the sin of uselessness. To do nothing is just as much of a sin as doing something that is wrong, and we should pay attention to that.
Useless living is very costly. A basic law of living is “Use it or lose it.” You don’t have to hurt a friend in order to destroy your friendship; all you need to do is ignore your friends. Don’t write or e-mail. Don’t call or visit. A neglected friendship will die just as much as neglect in a marriage will end it.
That fig tree was planted in a good garden, in good soil. It was cared for, fertilized, and watered. In spite of all that had been given to it, the fig tree produced nothing. The point of the parable is obvious. God has given you and me wonderful gifts. He has cared for us, tended us, and even given us the Bread of Life here on this altar. How can any one of us claim we were never given a chance? How can we claim that there was nothing we could produce, give, or share with others?
The owner of the garden wants to cut it down. He thinks this tree is wasting the soil but the gardener who looks after the tree says to let it alone for one more year. Let it alone and I will dig around it and put manure on it. I will look after it so it is given every chance to bear fruit.
The gardener does not say that he or she will cut it down. No the gardener says that you – the owner can cut it down. The gardener is not concerned about whether the tree bears fruit – the gardener is concerned about nourishing the tree so that it can bear fruit. The gardener is like God who has patience beyond what any human can imagine who waits for us – who waits for us to turn away from sin.
Jesus challenges us in today’s gospel for true repentance and reparation for our sins . I heard about a shoplifter who wrote to a department store an anonymous letter, and said, "Dear Sir, I have just become a Christian and I can't sleep at night because I feel guilty. So here's $100 that I owe you." He signed only his first name and then put a P.S. at the bottom of the letter that said, "If I still can't sleep I'll send you the rest."
The Jewish rabbis taught that repentance required five elements: recognition of one's sin as sin; remorse for having committed the sin; desisting from repeating this sin; restitution for the damage done by the sin where possible; and confession. “Confession" for the Jews had two forms: ritual and personal. One who followed these steps to teshuvá was called a "penitent." In fact, Jesus invited his Jewish listeners to such repentance. “Repent” (Greek, metanoia), implies not just regret for the past but a radical conversion and a complete change in our way of life as we respond and open ourselves to the love of God. Repentance is a statement of regret for the inner condition of our souls, with a determination to have that condition changed.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ Let us try our best to repent while we have the chance. We need to make the best use of the "second chance" God gives us. Every day is the first day of the rest of our life. Our merciful Father always gives us a second chance. The prodigal son, returning to the father, was welcomed as a son, not treated as a slave. The repentant Peter was made the head of the Church. The persecutor Paul was made the apostle to the Gentiles. During Lent, we, too, are given another chance to repent and return to our heavenly Father’s love. As we receive a second chance from God, we are also expected to give others a second chance when they ask our forgiveness. Grace is everywhere. Let us always cooperate with grace, especially during Lent. Who knows whether we will have one more chance like this?
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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