The 19 word in my Lent lexicon is:
SECOND CHANCE.
We live in a world that is quick to judge and to dismiss those are viewed as not living up to our expectations. We live in a “cancel” culture that dismisses anyone who criticises or even disagrees with us. This makes life feel very pressured for all of us. We feel the pressure of always being right and are stressed by the constant effort of avoiding anything that looks remotely like failure.
In today’s gospel Jesus takes the opposite approach. In telling the crowd the parable of the fig tree he reminds us that God is a God of second chances. When the vineyard owner sees his fig tree isn’t bearing fruit his inclination is to cut it down and use the space for something else. His gardener stays his had saying:
“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.”
The gardener recognises a potential in the fig tree that the master misses. He sees that with extra care, attention and nourishment the tree might flourish and bear fruit, however unlikely it seems.
When we feel like we’re failing or that our lives are not bearing fruit Jesus looks at us in the same way as the gardener looks at the fig tree. He sees beyond the disappointment and hopelessness. He offers us a second chance, knowing that with care, attention and nourishment we too can bear fruit, even if we can’t quite believe it ourselves.
Where is Christ offering you a second chance this Lent?