Friday – 8th Week of Ordinary Time

Gospel – Mark 11:11-26

I Don’t Give a Fig

A Bountiful Harvest

Jaime and Josh have been very busy the last couple of weeks putting in their garden for the season – all sorts of veggies and herbs.  That also means zucchini! Woo Hoo!  Last year didn’t work so well but I have high hopes for a good crop of zucchini.  And then, comes August and September and maybe I can harvest a couple zucchini and do a bit of baking.  But there is a lot to do in-between now and then.  You can’t just plant the seeds one day, wait 3 months, and voila there it is!  It takes work, weeding and watering, time and a bit of faith.  But in the end, it is worth it to go out into the raised beds and gather the crop.

That is not what happens in today’s Gospel.  Jesus is looking for something to eat.  He goes to a fig tree but there was nothing but leaves.  It was not the season for figs.  The same holds true for any garden we plant; every vegetable and fruit has its season.  We can’t rush it; we can’t make it grow any faster.  It takes time and patience.

But there is also a lesson here about faith as well!  So let this be our thought for the day.  Zucchini has a season; tomatoes have a season.  Even green grass and flowers have a season.  But not faith!  Faith is always in season!  Faith is not about convenience, but commitment.  It is about persistence and growth and patience!  And the reward is a bountiful harvest!

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