Sir, leave it for this year also

28 FEBRUARY (Lk 13,1-9)

Every Christian is a tree of God, planted in his vineyard, in his Church. God did not plant unnecessarily, because Jesus Christ did not die in vain. He died and from his pierced body he produced the Holy Spirit, the face of the earth from the heart of man must be renewed with. Now if a Christian does not renew the face of the earth, producing as Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, he is barren tree, devoid of the fruit the Heavenly Father expects from him. Bearing fruit is a need of live.

If the tree bears fruit, it is alive. If it does not bear fruit it is sterile. It is a useless tree in the Lord’s vineyard. It must be uprooted, cut, thrown into the fire, and leave its room for other trees which will bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit in due time. The Lord of the vineyard decided. The tree must be cut. It is sterile. He does not need trees without fruit. It is a waste of time and also of fertile land. The farmer gets in between the decision and the action of cutting and uprooting. This calls for another year to the Lord. In this time he will dig around the tree, will put the fertilizer, will make every effort so that the tree may produce its fruit. If after this further commitment there will be no result, then it is right that the tree is cut.

From the parable of Jesus two truths emerge that must be the essence of our faith. Every tree must give the Lord its fruit of Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ, the tree of the Father has borne its fruit. He produced the Holy Spirit for all mankind. The Holy Spirit, produced by Christ, is given to the Christian so that he produces him too as the fruit of salvation, redemption, conversion and justification for his brothers. If the Christian does not produce, it is the obligation of who his pastor, his priest, to put every care, every caution, every gift of grace so that he produces. This is his great mercy: arranging that every tree under his care can produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit that the Father expects, demands, requires and wants. If the pastor, or priest, does not give extra attention of truth, of grace, of work, the tree must be cut, but he did not live towards it all his mercy.

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.'”

We are not righteous, converted, at peace with our conscience, because the house, the tower did not collapse on us and not even because our lives were spared, while those of the others were taken with violence by men. We are right if we produce the fruit that gives life to the whole world and that is the Holy Spirit. We are merciful and perfect as the Heavenly Father, if we put all our efforts so that every tree entrusted to our care, but that does not produce the Holy Spirit, through our diligent, demanding uninterrupted work, we put all the grace of God that is in our heart in the service of the fruitless trees so that they begin to produce their fruit of life.

By now, the disciple of Jesus has a minimalist concept of justice and of his obligation to God. It is enough that he does not kill physically anyone and his conscience is swell. He does not feel any remorse for his spiritual sloth, for his indifference, for his non fructification of the Holy Spirit. Even who is pastor is no longer involved in the fructification of the Spirit. External works are sufficient and everything is okay.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints save us from all folly.