Repentance: Turning to God, Living His Will

HOMILY: Third Sunday of Lent

Luke 13:1-9

20 March 2022

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA

“Madapa ka sana.” Have you ever wished that on someone who slighted you or hurt you?  Pag nadapa nga, ano ang susunod na sasabihin? “Buti nga sa iyo.” Hindi ba? Natutuwa ka pa kasi tila ang mundo ang nagparusa sa taong naturingan mong masama.  Pagmalalang-malala ang kasalanan sa yo, minsan nasasabi mo pang “Mamatay ka sana.”  Should it happen, would you be satisfied? Would you feel vindicated? 

For the Buddhists, they call it karma. Tipong binabalikan ng pangyayaring masama ang gumagawa ng masama sa kapwa. It is quite common for people to believe that certain misfortunes that strike people, especially those whom they do not like are “well deserved!” (Sa Tagalog slang kadalasang sinasabi ng ilan… “dasurb na dasurb”).  For those who believe in God, they believe it to be Divine Justice wherein God metes out an appropriate punishment on evildoers. In the Exodus story, God punishes the oppressive Egyptians by having an angel slay all their first born and drowning the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. In the story of Noah, he sends a flood that destroys the world that has become evil, saving only what remained on the ark. In the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, God rained fire from the sky to destroy the two cities where He could not find even 10 righteous people. 

Ok na sana, di ba? But the truth is, bad things don’t just happen to bad people. They happen to good people too. When thousands of people are killed or are rendered homeless as the result of some terrible natural disaster are we to read it as an act of punishment for those people? For what crimes are innocent children paying for with their lives as casualties of war? Does that mean God is cruel?  Some people turn away from God because they cannot reconcile the loving nature of God with one who would not prevent such things from happening to good people. A high-ranking government official in the sixties developed Parkinson’s in his old age. The eldest of his two sons idolised his dad so much for his kindness and brilliance. He could not accept that God would allow his father to suffer the indignities brought by the disease. When his father passed away due to multiple complications, his son completely abandoned his faith. Some parents who lose their children at infancy, also turn away from God. They cannot fathom why He would allow bad things to happen to good people and innocent children. 

It is however incorrect to blame God for these misfortunes in life. God is all good and whatever God creates is good. It follows then those human beings are inherently good. However, when people make bad choices with the gift of free will, goodness is distorted, destroyed and corrupted. When people choose to be inconsiderate and selfish, they make victims of others.  We can victimise others deliberately and sometimes, unknowingly, we become the scourge of others. When people give in to jealousy, pride and ambition they become blind and indifferent to the plight of others. We also experience this in corrupt societies that breed criminals, and force the needy to kill and steal for survival. Moreover, it is the people’s abuse of the environment that intensifies natural calamities. Illegal logging and indiscriminate throwing of garbage causes the worst flooding in lowlands and cities. Smoke coming from factories wantonly destroy the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. All of these are influenced by man through the centuries. When people choose to do evil, misfortune becomes the way of the world. 

In today’s Gospel Jesus refers to two violent incidents primarily to point out the inevitability of these kind occurrences in life. The two tragedies — the murder of the Galileans by Pilate and the death of the eighteen people in the tower at Siloam made people think that such bad things happened because they must NOT have been good people after all.  And so, they concluded that those who died must have deserved what they got. Let us remember that people back then thought that any misfortune was a punishment for sin. However, Jesus uses these events to reverse this rather perverted thinking. “But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” (Luke 13:3) Jesus warns His listeners of the suddenness of these tragedies and the possible unpreparedness of the victims. Jesus exhorts His listeners to repent lest they suffer the same fate. In the same light, St. Paul also warns the Corinthians in the Second Reading: “Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12)

This places a new perspective to the terrible events that are happening around us. We can accept them as a wake-up call that brings us to awareness that we are in need of salvation and are called to conversion. The second half of today’s gospel tells us of a landowner who planted a fig tree that did not produce fruit for three years.  Giving up on it, he tells the gardener to cut it down.  But the wise gardener knows that the tree simply needs cultivating and proper care.  He suggests, “I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilise it; it may bear fruit in the future.” (Luke 13:8) Through the parable Jesus demonstrates the mercy of God for us. God is willing to give us time and means to repent. Jesus urges His listeners to be reconciled with God before any misfortune strikes so that divine judgment does not accompany it. Repentance is a call for all so that if all turn to God and live in accordance with His will no one hurts another, no one is punished by another (whether deserved or not). God’s will is always meant to breed and propagate justice, peace, goodness and love.

Every Lenten season is a chance for us to reflect on how we have contributed to the suffering of others and how we can make amends. Today, Jesus tells us not to give up hope that we can be better. There is still time to cultivate our life and ensure we bear much fruit. God offers us His love, His care and His help. Let us open our hearts to God’s merciful love and become the fig tree that bears fruits, as proof of our repentance.