On this third Sunday of Lent we hear in the Gospel of Luke (13: 1-9) the parable of the fig tree and the gardener who goes looking for some figs but finds none on his tree—a tree he has pruned and cared for over three years, to no avail. Dominican Father Anthony Giambrone, O.P. offers us a reflection on this gospel in this vein: the Lord has given us good seed (faith), He has given us rich soil in which to grow, and has tended us (with Church teachings and guidance). Christ said to Peter,: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19) And now asks us to think of our lives as the fig tree in the good see and soil He has given to us. And what are we to do with it? Producing much good fruit! Should we expect to be left to our own devices or will the gardener (God) come along and prune us, perhaps remove us from the land if we do not produce good Christian fruit? Once-upon-a-time in confession someone confessed they were too busy to go to church or to pray, noting that sports and other activities took up their time. Asked by the priest if they believed in God and His gift of eternal salvation, they said “yes.” When asked if they thought their coach or their other activities that kept them busy were also able to offer them eternal life in heaven, they said “of course not.” So the question next posed is: why then does soccer or baseball or hockey take a priority over God and Church.? Knowing the Truth will set us free.

Lent is a time to recommit to our faith in Christ. And from time-to-time we all have to recommit to Christ. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the world of work and family, to be swayed by all the fun things we wish to do or by the daily responsibilities of life—which perhaps are not always fun but nonetheless demanding of our time. True enough. But the Lord does require us to set priorities, and while we may not always adhere to them perfectly well, the Lord is forgiving, loving, merciful and just. May it be our collective Lenten prayer that we will do our best to recommit to Christ and His love, to His call to us to be Christian people, and to His hope that proclaims: “And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it [on] the last day. (John 6:39)

The Lord Himself wishes to be the fertilizer that nourishes us in our faith. He provides us abundant graces, unlimited forgiveness, and ongoing strength through His Church and His Sacraments to become the fruit-bearing people He created us to be. It is never too late to begin anew. It is never too late to return to the Father. May we who believe in our hearts, and yet are at times pulled from the Lord, use this Lenten time to “go home again” by opening our hearts to His grace and then reach out to someone in need—in need of time to comfort them, in need of food to feed them, in need of forgiveness to heal them. Whatever the need, it can be filled…it all begins with our asking Christ to give me the grace and strength to do Your Will. He will do the rest. Try it!