THE WORD
1 Pt 4,7-13 / Mk 11,11-26
Next day as they were leaving Bethany, (Jesus) felt hungry. Seeing a fig tree in leaf some distance away, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it, but when he came up to it he found nothing but leaves; for it was not season of the figs. And he addressed the fig tree ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again’, he said. And his disciples heard him say this.
So they reached Jerusalem and he went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling and buying there; he upset the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those who were selling pigeons. Nor would he allow anyone to carry anything through the Temple. And he taught them and said, ‘Does not scripture say: My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples? But you have turned it into a robber’s den.’ This came to the ears of the chief priests and the scribed, and they tried to find some way of doing away with him; they were afraid of him because the people were carried away by his teaching. And when evening came he went out of the city.
Next morning, as they passed by, they saw the g tree withered to the roots. Peter remembered. ‘Look, Rabbi,’ he said to Jesus ‘the g tree you cursed has withered away.’ Jesus answered, ‘Have faith in God. I tell you solemnly, if anyone says to this mountain, “Get up and throw yourself into the sea,: with no hesitation in his heart but believing that what he ways will happen, it will be done for him. I tell you therefore: everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it will be yours. And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too.
IN OTHER WORDS
Jesus is hungry. He sees a fig tree, approaches it, hoping to pick some fruits to fill stomach. Unfortunately, the tree had produced no fruit. To his dismay, our Lord curses the g tree, saying: “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” With the cursing of the g tree, Jesus symbolically denounces “unfruitful Christians” – that is, people who profess themselves as followers of Jesus Christ but there is a contradiction between their testimony and their lifestyle.
This gospel passage is a precaution for a professing follower of Christ who lives a completely fruitless life; whose relationship with God is nothing more than rite, ritual and form. It is a wake-up call for us to harmonize our words and deeds.
For us Christians, the only way that we will ever be able to bear real fruit is for us to be tapped constantly unto the Source of all fruit: Jesus Christ. The more we cling to Him, the more we become godly and the more we will be like Him and bear fruit abundantly.
- Fr. Jovito Osalvo, SVD | Portugal
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
