SPIRITUAL LIVING
Prayer and Devotions
Bearing Fruit
by Father Jason Wallace, LC
Be patient with the faults of others today.
October 27, 2007
Saturday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 13: 1-9
At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"
Introductory Prayer: God our Father, you created me to glorify you. I pray I will be able to have you ever present in my life as I journey towards your Kingdom. Allow me to be a tireless apostle. Help me serve you by serving others.
Petition: Lord, grant me the grace to be an apostle who bears fruit.
1. Repentance Many people equate suffering and misfortune with punishment from God; good health and wealth with God’s blessing. Christ shows this to be inadequate. Pilate’s bloodshed and the Siloam tower incident are used to show the urgency of repentance. If we persist in our sins, our lot will be worse than painful physical death of the body: It will be our eternal loss of friendship with Christ, which is the greatest possible suffering we could experience.
2. He Came Looking for Fruit We are created out of love, and our mission in life is to respond with love to God. What is Christ looking for? The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Number 2044, offers us an answer. “The fidelity of the baptized is a primordial condition for the proclamation of the Gospel and for the Church's mission in the world. In order that the message of salvation can show the power of its truth and radiance before men, it must be authenticated by the witness of the life of Christians. The witness of a Christian life and good works done in a supernatural spirit have great power to draw men to the faith and to God.’”
3. Perpetual Patience As we look back on our lives and see how many sins, mistakes, and errors we have made, we realize one thing: God is very patient. He is the gardener who will try at all costs to save the crop. He never loses hope in us. He knows that all of us possess the seed of love in our hearts, and he continually tries to find new ways to help it flourish. The three years of the man’s waiting are an image of the three years of Christ’s public life in which he reached out to everyone. We know that some in the Gospel chose to close their hearts to him. But we also know that God will continue to work, and we must do our part by being open to his grace. By being patient and persevering in my efforts to bring others to Christ, I will bear much fruit for the Kingdom.
Conversation with Christ: Christ Jesus, you are my hope and surety. Please guide me to bear much fruit for your kingdom. Never allow me to be distracted by the world or my sins. Rather, I want to employ my time helping you to turn the hearts of sinners through my unconditional testimony of fidelity to your grace.
Resolution: I will be patient with the faults of others today.
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