You know, on average, I have at least one homily to write each day. Each week, I also have a homily to write in Spanish, and sometimes it is not so easy writing a homily in a language that is not a native language. And unlike many of the Protestant ministers, I don’t get to choose the Scripture passages for my homilies, but rather am called as a Catholic priest to preach on the Scripture reading for the day.
Sometimes, Scripture is straight-forward and very easy to understand. Other times, it is quite a challenge. And some days, it is quite a challenge to find the inspiration to write a homily. Today, we have a very curious Scripture passage from Mark’s Gospel about a fig tree that has always perplexed me. It is one of the Bible readings that I would gladly ignore, which is a good reason why I should preach about it today. I wonder about today’s Gospel: Why did Jesus curse that tree, telling it that never again would anyone eat its fruit? Generally, this story has been interpreted as a parable, with the fig tree without fruit representing the people of Ancient Israel who openly rejected Jesus and his proclamation of God’s kingdom. When Jesus went to them, looking to see how they responded to his Good News, he found criticism, rejection, and bitterness. In a way, the people became like the fig tree, their minds and hearts all withered up and without fruit. Perhaps what happens next in the Gospel reinforces this interpretation of the fig tree story, as we see Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers in the Temple area and Jesus driving out those who turned God’s holy space into an opportunity to make money and achieve personal gain.
There are times when we feel like our lives are not bearing fruit. There are times when our life of faith feels all withered up. How can we bring new life to our journey of faith? What can we do to bear fruit for the kingdom of God?
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