Examples of inexplicable suffering are found in today’s Gospel: the Galileans whose blood the Romans had mingled with their sacrifices and the 18 who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. In Old Testament thought both the cruelty of the Romans and the natural disaster would have been seen as the consequence of sin; and the greater the suffering, then the greater must have been the sin. But this way of thinking presents a false image of God: it leaves no room for God’s infinite mercy and compassion; it offers no hope and can lead only to despair. Jesus does not reject the reality of sin, but He does reject this way of thinking. He tells us that sin is to be dealt with repentance and that means turning totally away from sin and living a new life of faith. The parable of the fig tree illustrates the loving mercy of God who waits for us to change our minds and hearts in repentance. The fig tree is a sign of hope and the parable can be linked to the first reading where God’s presence is manifested to Moses on Mount Horeb in the flame of fire in the middle of the burning bush.