29th Week in Ordinary Time : Saturday 25th October 2025

When Paul wrote that there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” he also shared what it meant to be “in Christ Jesus.” When Christ ascended to heaven after the Crucifixion and Resurrection, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within those who believed. With Christ’s spirit within us, we are to follow the way of life that He set out before He went to be with the Father. What is that way of life? To show a life of repentance by feeding the hungry, to visit the sick and those in prison and to look after those less fortunate.

Jesus mentioned of repentance, not as a punishment but as a possibility. The parable of the barren fig tree deepens this possibility and urgency. He then illustrated the way in which God provides us with the opportunity to develop in our spiritual lives. The fig tree had not borne any fruit, and the owner wanted to chop it down; however, the gardener wanted to give the tree another season. Is this not like our Lord who provides us with tender opportunities to repent and then to start again with a clean heart? When we confess our sins and repent of them and truly seek to be the people God has called us to be, we are given the opportunity to bear fruit for the kingdom of God.

PRAYER Lord, with perseverance let me repent—not out of dread, but out of desire to bear fruit that blesses the world.