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GOSPEL | Luke 13:1-9
Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
Jesus 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.’”
EVERY WEEK QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
Are you bearing fruit, or just taking up space?
Jesus directly confronts a dangerous mindset: believing that tragedy is a sign of someone else’s guilt while excusing our own need for repentance. He warns that suffering and disaster should not lead us to self-righteous comparisons but to personal reflection on our spiritual state.
The parable of the fig tree further underscores this call to conversion. The fig tree was planted in good soil, cared for, and given time—but it remained barren. In Scripture, a fruitless tree often symbolizes a person who has received God’s grace yet produces nothing in return.
Modern psychology shows that humans are prone to self-justification (Journal of Behavioral Science, 2022). We excuse our lack of growth, saying “I’m doing fine,” while ignoring the real areas of our hearts that need transformation. The Catechism (CCC 1431) teaches that “true conversion is a radical reorientation of our whole life.” Are we truly changing and growing in holiness, or are we like the fig tree—alive, but stagnant?
The gardener’s plea for one more year reflects God’s mercy, but also His expectation that we will use that mercy to change. Are we actually repenting, maturing, and bearing fruit, or are we simply wasting the grace we have been given?
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Facing the need for repentance: Do you recognize areas where you need true conversion, or do you assume that repentance is for others?
Bearing fruit: If God examined your life today, would He find spiritual fruit—holiness, virtue, love for others? Where do you need to grow?
Using God’s mercy well: The fig tree was given another chance—but not forever. Are you taking full advantage of God’s mercy, or are you delaying real change?
LIVE IT
Going around, affirm one particular way that person has inspired you by his/her commitment to personal growth and spiritual fruitfulness. Encourage him/her.
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