Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
I think it is human nature for us to look at others and see the need for change while ignoring the work that needs to be done for our own improvement. Today’s readings remind us that the Spirit of Christ is within us, and we need to focus on how we can allow the Spirit to be more alive in our lives. We our called to “cultivate” the soil of our souls, so we can bear fruit for the world.
In today’s gospel reading, some of those listening to Jesus believed certain Galileans and a group from Siloam suffered horrible deaths because of their great sins. Jesus reminds them that the sins of these unfortunate people are no greater than those who are listening to his preaching. Jesus calls them to recognize their sinfulness and repent. Jesus shares the story of the fig tree. The owner of the orchard was ready to cut the tree down because it had not borne fruit. The gardener asked the owner for more time to cultivate the soil and fertilize the tree, so it might bear fruit in the future. Jesus seems to be reminding his listeners that God desires everyone to live lives of goodness and fruitfulness. God offers us many opportunities to become whole, but God’s Spirit cannot flourish within us without our awareness and acceptance of God’s presence in our lives.
In the first reading from Romans, we are reminded that Jesus has freed us from the power of sin. Although some people still live according to the flesh and do not submit to the law of God, others allow the Spirit of Christ to live within and they find peace and life. Living under the power of the flesh creates hostility towards God and there is no desire to please God. Followers of Christ are called to turn towards God and allow the Spirit to bring fullness of life.
When we look outward and focus on the faults of others, we neglect our own failings and therefore do not recognize our need for renewal. Similar to Jesus’ other parable about removing the plank from our eye before removing the splinter in another’s eye, it is essential that we look within and find the many ways we need to return to God. Like the story of the fig tree, we need to cultivate and fertilize our faith lives in order to allow the fullness of the Spirit within us. Prayer, scripture, and sacrament are ways to help us focus on God and our need for healing and grace. As we look within, we recognize our need for God. We become the people that long to see the face of God, since we know that God alone can give us life. The more we focus on God and allow the Spirit within us to flourish, the more likely we will be able to see others not as greater sinners, but as God’s beloved. The greater we align ourselves in the Spirit of Christ, the more we become Christ’s presence bearing the fruits of love, peace, and mercy for the world around us.
Loving God, Jesus reminds us of our need for your mercy and grace. May we allow the grace of your Spirit to fill our lives, so we will bring love instead of hatred, mercy instead of judgment, and peace instead of violence to the world around us. May all we do bring you glory and praise. We pray this in Christ’s name. AMEN.
Marylynn Herchline