PHOTO: Hose Luis Hernandez Zurdo The parable of the barren fig tree is today’s gospel reading. After three years of waiting for fruit from the tree, the orchard owner was ready to cut it down. Why not plant something else? The gardener had another idea. “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 cut it down.” LK 13.8-9.
His remark brought another type of cultivation to mind. What do I do to “cultivate the ground” where my soul sinks its roots? What do I do that nurtures my spirit and enables me to share what I have been given?
Our lives are full of choices. How do we spend time? When at work, are we mindful of what we are doing, finding ways to serve even in positions that seem unlikely places for meeting God or sharing Goodness with others? And time when we are not at work?
What do we read? Are we aware of creation that surrounds us? The night sky? The shapes of clouds? Are we mindful and present to the moment? When we are not, we do not allow the Grace of the moment to soak our soul as it might, and our spirits can become hard and dry, like uncultivated ground.
I imagine Jesus is the gardner who is patient and loving rather than the owner of the orchard who was annoyed and ready to give up on the tree. Jesus will give me what I need to be fruitful. Yes, the Holy One provides, but I must be receptive. I have responsibility as the gardener, as well. We garden together, God and I. God and all of us. Together, we bear fruit for the world.
© 2011 Mary van Balen
Speak Your Mind