Make good use of the gift of time

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.”’ (Luke 13,1-9)

Jesus uses the parable of the fig tree that bears no fruit, to advise us not to challenge the Father who graciously gives us the grace of time to live on this earth. We are like the tree that does not bear fruit when we refuse to convert, remaining fenced in with discouragement and risking not to repent even on the point of death, thus condemning ourselves to hell. Try to make good use of every second of your time, making eternal life your first goal, then everything else will be given in addition.