In today's Gospel, the Lord tells the story of the 18 men who died at the hands of Pilate
when the Tower of Siloam fell down for their dastardly deeds.
And indeed, many of the doctors and fathers have pointed out that our Lord is instructing each and every one of us
that he is the Tower of Siloam, and so he knows all that we say and all that we do,
and we will receive the just recompense for what we do.
And so the Tower falling on is the justice of God, for if we do evil acts and persevere in our evil,
then we will suffer eternal death.
And so he is shown as the judge, but he is also shown as the king of mercy in the second part of today's Gospel,
for he says that there was a fig tree that bore no fruit, that was the chosen people.
Their fig tree, they looked nice, the leaves were green, but no fruit was borne on the tree.
And so he would preach to them for three years, and still they did not come to know and to accept him as the Messiah.
And so he begs the Eternal Father,
that he preaches for another year.
And so it was into the fourth year of our Lord's preaching
that the chosen people, still not understanding the Word of God
and not accepting Christ as the Messiah, would take our Lord and condemn him to death.
And ultimately, they would pay the ultimate price with the collapse of Jerusalem
at the hands of the Romans during the siege of Jerusalem,
in which the town, in which the city was completely wiped out
because the most important thing, the most important thing,
the most important of its signs was wiped out.
That is, the temple, because the temple was no longer needed as a sign for the true sign had come.
The child of Mary had truly come into the world, and he was truly, as it were, the temple of God.
And so, let us rejoice because we know that our Lord is our judge, but he is also our merciful king.
And so, he is the gardener who seeks, as it were, to fertilize through the sacramental life
all souls that have come to know him.
Through baptism, so that they may persevere and bear the good fruits,
that is, the good fruits of faith, hope, and charity.
And so, let us understand always and everywhere, as the Catechism teaches us,
that he sees all the things that we do.
He knows the secrets of our hearts.
He knows us better than we know ourselves, for Scripture tells us
that he knows the numbers of the hairs on our head.
And I doubt very seriously that there are many human beings who can count the hairs on their head.
And yet,
he is also the merciful judge, because he gives us opportunity.
And so, we listen to the word of God through Holy Mother Church.
We try to strengthen our souls through the sacramental life,
that is, receive the fertilizer, the grace of Almighty God,
so that we may persevere in the works that the Lord has come to see
in the members of the mystical body, that is, the works of faith, hope, and charity.
And so, let us strive, because we have such a good gardener,
and let us always be thankful, especially this day,
in which we honor the Mother of God, that we have the divine gardener,
because the Mother of God was always faithful to the will of God.
And so, she received the seed of the Father in her womb,
and he came to full stature, delivering himself up for our salvation,
and establishing for us the one means by which we are sure that we are working out our salvation
in fear and trembling, that is, Holy Mother Church.
And so, in this day and age, when it is so easy to be tempted to leave Holy Mother Church,
let us always remember that she is the only safe haven.
And as St. Alphonsus D. Liguori pointed out,
it is better to be a sinner inside the Church of God than a sinner outside the Church of God,
for we always have the means to be reconciled with God.
And so, let us strive always to serve Holy Mother Church, our Good Mother,
with all our hearts, with all our minds, and with all our souls,
so that we truly remain in God's kingdom in this life,
so that we may receive him forever in his kingdom to come.
In the life to come.
In the life to come.