Why should it exhaust the soil?

25 OCTOBER (Lk 13,1-9)

Religion is often cloaked in infinite stupidity. It, which is called upon to always shine with divine wisdom often lies on ignorance: source, principle and origin of all idolatry and impiety. When ignorance rules the heart, judgments and evaluations are always passed on the history that is lived that are not truths; instead, they are falsehoods so severe as to compromise our own spiritual journey because they root us in illusion and in every other mistaken belief.

Jesus is always illuminated by divine wisdom. With it he sees the distortions of every thought and casts light on them, so that whoever wants can repent and return to the truth of the heart and mind. To the religion of the time, an accident, a punishment, a sudden or violent death was a judgment of guilt on the part of the Lord. These things were regarded as true divine punishment. Since we did not go through anything, we are innocent, sinless and are in no need of repentance.

Jesus, full of wisdom and perfect connoisseur of the truth of the Father and of man, shouts that the lot of others is not a judgment of acquittal for us. We are righteous because we remained in life. Since luck has been good with us, this is due to our goodness. We are all guilty, all in need of conversion, all necessitate to be surrounded by the forgiveness and mercy of God. We are all offenders of the Commandments, of the Law of the Covenant. We are all, more or less, out of the Word of life.

To learn about our spiritual state we must always be illuminated by the light of the Lord Jesus. Our conscience tends to justify even the most heinous sin. Our minds always find loopholes and ways to not incriminate us of any guilt. Man always tends to declare himself innocent. The others are offenders, guilty and sinners. We are righteous and holy. We are not like the others. Essentially we too are by nature Pharisees, hypocrites that purify the outside of the cup while inside we are full of extortion and wickedness. But our conscience keeps silent about this spiritual decay.

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.'”

The time comes when the Lord wants the fruits from our religious and Christian tree. It is at this juncture that it is proven who is in true wisdom and who instead is imprisoned in his foolishness and ignorance. Who loves, still asks the Lord for more time so that the tree can produce. Not only does he ask, he also gives the reasons for his request. He asks because he wants to commit himself with all his powers of love and truth. He wants to offer the tree all the help so that it can produce good fruit.

The Christian mission is the true mission of love and truth. Love is turned into prayer and practical help. The truth is the offer to the tree of every heavenly grace so that it can repent and bear fruits of holiness and eternal life. A man is always in need of a man to be saved, redeemed and to repent. Jesus watered and waters our tree with his blood; feeds it with his flesh so that it can produce good fruit. If not even his blood and his flesh are enough, then it is right that the Master of the vineyard intervenes and cuts the tree. It cannot exploit the ground uselessly.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints teach us the true charity