It is far easier to point out the sins of others, to judge and condemn them. But have we first examined our own lives first? Are we ourselves sinful? Or have we rationalised and then justified all that we had done wrong? Unless we come clean and are truly sorry for our sins, we will never grow in faith, love and charity. We will never grow in our relationship with our heavenly Father. We deprive ourselves of our heavenly inheritance.
Sweet Jesus help me overcome my prideful ways. I come before You with a repentant heart, have mercy on me Lord. Let me excel in the vocation our heavenly Father has chosen for me. So that in union with my brethren, we as one body humbly work together to build His Kingdom now and forever. Amen
First reading
Ephesians 4:7-16
Gospel
Luke 13:1-9
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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