Yesterday's Gospel is a very challenging one for me, in terms of the God that I believe in. In fact, the reading guide entitles it "Repent or perish".
The God I believe in is Love that knows no bounds. It's not just an idea of mine but Scripture itself confirms this:
For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16)
There are so many other Scripture texts that show the same face of God.
How then can I understand this text of Luke 13:1-9. I am not an exegete, but in my everyday life, the Word of God gives me nourishment. I hope that it is not superstition, but in difficult times, it is God's promises that give me hope or a new lease on life. God's Word may not give me the answer to a pressing question, but It definitely helps me to hang on or to view the question from another perspective.
Well then, what is the message for me of this Lucan text? God is always patient. His patience knows no bounds. The "one more year" mentioned here in the text is not the literal one year according to our time measurement. The one year here is our "limited time" here on earth. God continues to nourish us and to give us what we need to attain true joy. He does His part but we have to do ours. When our "time is up" and we have to be "cut off", it is not that God has condemned us or has stopped dealing with us kindly; rather, it is we who have hardened ourselves, refusing His invitation to joy and fullness of life.
In the end, it is not He who condemns us, but we who condemn ourselves by choosing a pattern of refusing His love. Nothing in life is improvised. The daily no's that we say to God's love hardens our heart and leaves it closed to God's all-pervading kindness.
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