Word to the Wise
Sunday, March 20, 2022 - 3rd Sunday of Lent - C
[Exod 3:1-8a, 13-15; 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12; Luke 13:1-9]"There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, 'For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?' [The gardener] said to him in reply, 'Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cult it down.'" [Luke]
SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2022 THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
[Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12; Luke 13:1-9 - These are the scriptures for Cycle C. Some parishes with RCIA programs may use Cycle A. Past reflections on those may be found in the "search" feature at my website <rbwords.com>.]
Jesus is consistent about fruit-bearing trees. Earlier in the Gospel According to Luke [6:43-44] he speaks of good trees bearing good fruit. A fruit tree should bear fruit. Indeed this is how one can determine how good the tree truly is. "By their fruit, you shall know them." The fruit tree in today's gospel is obviously the source of frustration for both owner and gardener. The gardener is a bit like Moses (who is featured in the first scripture today). He intercedes with the owner to give the tree more time. The second scripture today from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians reminds the reader that Moses' efforts did not always meet with success. In the gospel parable today, the gardener is holding out for the tree. He is a man of hope!
Every person in pastoral ministry encounters folks [trees] who, for all intents and purposes, should be "bearing fruit," but there is obviously something going on in the life of the "tree" that is preventing fruit from forming. As an amateur gardener myself, I identify with that gardener. Is there a problem with the location, or lack of bees to pollinate, or the weather (drought), or the way the tree is being cultivated? But there comes a time when no effort makes any difference and the space and soil could be better used for a tree that will bear fruit.
Jesus challenges us to "be all that we can be." Like the Israelites in the desert, we can choose to follow Moses and the commands God has given to him, or we can choose a God of our own designs. The latter leads to disaster. The former leads to eternal life. What kind of tree are we? What would it take for us to bear fruit? The gardener can only do just so much. Where are our figs? AMEN