Daily Catholic Lectio
Sat, 25 Oct ‘25
Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday
Romans 8:1–11. Luke 13:1–9
Time for Conversion
(a) Accidents and grace
In Jesus’ time, people believed that tragedy was a punishment for sin. If someone died suddenly, they assumed it was because of some hidden fault. Even today, this mindset still lingers — that sickness, failure, or misfortune is God’s punishment. But Jesus firmly rejects this idea. He says: “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners because they suffered this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.” Accidents, disasters, and illnesses are not divine retribution; they are reminders of our fragility and the urgency of conversion. Life is uncertain. The question is not why it happened to them, but what must I change today?
(b) The urgency of conversion
Jesus turns the people’s curiosity about others’ sins into a personal call: “Unless you repent, you will all perish.” He shifts the focus from judging others to examining ourselves. Conversion (metanoia) is not just a feeling of regret — it is a turning of the mind and heart toward God. And the time for that change is not tomorrow, but now. Procrastination is the enemy of grace. Many of us wait for a perfect time — after retirement, after healing, after success — to turn to God. But grace belongs to the present. As the saying goes, “Later is too late.”
(c) The parable of the fig tree: God’s patience
In the second part of the Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the barren fig tree. For three years, the owner looked for fruit and found none. He decided to cut it down. But the gardener interceded: “Sir, leave it alone for one more year; I’ll dig around it and put manure on it.”
This parable beautifully shows the patience of God. He gives time, He waits, He nourishes — but He also expects fruit. Every extension of time is an invitation to renewal. God’s patience is not permission to delay but mercy that gives us another chance. Each day we wake up, we are like that fig tree given another year to bear fruit. The question is: will we respond to that grace, or waste it?
(d) The Spirit who brings life
In the first reading, Paul contrasts life in the flesh with life in the Spirit. To live “in the flesh” means to be driven by selfish desires; to live “in the Spirit” means to let God’s power transform us from within. He says, “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He will give life to your mortal bodies.” Conversion is not a one-time act but a daily cooperation with the Spirit — allowing Him to prune, renew, and guide us. Without the Spirit, we are lifeless; with Him, we bear fruit that lasts.
(e) The second chance
The Gospel assures us that God is not quick to condemn. He is the gardener who pleads for one more season, who adds care and nourishment, who believes in the possibility of our renewal. But this patience will not last forever. Every “one more year” is both a gift and a responsibility. We are called to use it well — to bear the fruit of love, mercy, and forgiveness.
The time is now
The message today is simple yet profound: Don’t judge others’ suffering; learn from it. Don’t delay conversion; act today. Don’t take God’s patience for granted; use it well. As Saint Paul reminds us, “Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.” God’s grace is not waiting for tomorrow — it is knocking at our heart today. Let us, then, like the fig tree, allow the divine Gardener to dig, prune, and nourish us, so that our lives may bear fruit — fruit worthy of repentance, fruit that glorifies God.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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