This Sunday's Gospel presents us with the parable of the fig tree. This parable calls us to trust in God who always offers us a “second chance.” God waits for us with patience and mercy.

During this Lenten season, we are called to do our “Spiritual Spring cleaning.” This is a call to look back over our lives and see how God’s mercy has saved us from ourselves and brought us this far by faith.

The prophet Isaiah calls us as he did the people of the exile, to return to God who is full of mercy.  We are called repentance and a change of heart. Just as God has mercy on the poor and suffering, we call on God to help us acknowledge our sins, our indifference, as well as the actions that have harmed others and to lead us to repentance.

A friend of mine once said, “The reason for our repentance is always God’s mercy.” With God’s mercy, our life’s story does not end but is given new life, new hope, and a new purpose. As with the Parable of the Fig Tree, God is patient with us as we grow. God’s mercy helps us to mature in faith.

When we say “yes” to God’s mercy, the story of our lives is rewritten. God looks beyond our faults and sees what we need. The God of “Second Chances” always looks for a way to give us what is best for us. Like the gardener in this Gospel, God acts with patience and hope to bring forth the best out of us. As we rejoice in God’s mercy, Psalm 103 reminds us, “The Lord is kind and merciful. Bless the LORD, O my soul and all my being, bless God’s holy name.”