If
the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who
raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through
his Spirit that dwells in you. Romans 8:11
“He
said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall
cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the
future. If not you can cut it down.’” Luke 13:8-9
Piety
Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your
merciful love; in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions. Thoroughly
wash away my guilt; and from my sin cleanse me. For I know my transgressions; my
sin is always before me. Against you, you alone have I sinned; I have done what
is evil in your eyes so that you are just in your word, and without reproach in
your judgment. (Psalm 51:3-6)
Study
We are pulled in two directions…one way leads
to life and peace while the other leads to hostility and death. How perfect
life could be if we made decisions 100 percent of the time toward life and
peace. However, it is not that easy because we are
constantly called to holiness via repentance (change) AND called to the
pleasures of the flesh. Our loving God
awaits our decision and action daily.
Fortunately, through the redemptive work of
Christ, Christians have been liberated from the terrible forces of sin and
death. Holiness was impossible so long as the flesh (or our “old
self”), that is, self-interested hostility toward God, frustrated the divine
objectives expressed in the law. The same Spirit who enlivens Christians
for holiness will also resurrect their bodies at the last day. [i]
The parable of the barren fig tree presents a
story about the continuing patience of God with those who have not yet given
evidence of their repentance from the sins of the flesh to the righteousness of
the spirit.
Action
“If you do not repent, you will all perish as
they did!”
In a recent homily, Pope Francis acknowledged
that because of weakness, original sin and the devil, the temptation to fall
back into old habits is constant. The path to conversion, he said, is made
"a little bit each day" even when there are difficulties. Like an
athlete, he said that Christians must train in sanctity in order to win the
"great victory of heaven."
“Let us ask this grace from the Lord: to be
strong, to be strong in this training of life toward the encounter, that we
might receive the gift of justification, the gift of grace, the gift of the
Spirit in Christ Jesus," the pope said.[ii] In this way, we may bear the fruits of the
spirit in the future.
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