First reading Ephesians 4:7-16
By grace, we shall not be children any longer
Each one of us has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. It was said that he would:
When he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners,
he gave gifts to men.
When it says, ‘he ascended’, what can it mean if not that he descended right down to the lower regions of the earth? The one who rose higher than all the heavens to fill all things is none other than the one who descended. And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.
Then we shall not be children any longer, or tossed one way and another and carried along by every wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all the tricks men play and their cleverness in practising deceit. If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love.
Responsorial Psalm 121(122):1-5
Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the Lord.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.
Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Gospel Luke 13:1-9
‘Leave the fig tree one more year’
Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’
He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’
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God’s patience
Jesus spent His public life travelling throughout the country, preaching the Kingdom of God to all people, but only a few were willing to embrace His message and live by it. In today’s gospel, Jesus said, “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard”. The fig tree is a symbol of the Jewish nation. Throughout history, God has taken care of them by sending leaders and prophets who were the voice of the Lord. “But in our time, the final days, He has spoken to us in the person of His Son” (Hebrews 1:2). Jesus experienced frustration due to the lack of response from the people to God’s abundant love. However, God’s love is patient and never gives up; He will continue taking care of each one of His children until the end.
If we recall our own journey of faith, we would realize how many times God has shown His love to us through the different situations we have lived. In moments of feeling lost, when we prayed to Him and He answered, He was there nurturing us with His love.
Reflective question:
Does my life produce fruits of love?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
