The Tree of Life

Luke’s Gospel (13:1-9) includes the parable of the barren fig tree. The tree that bears no fruit is reminiscent of the person who bears no spiritual fruit. Every single person on this small planet we call earth has a mission.  That mission is to be a conduit of grace into the world. God has planted the seeds of our life to blossom. 

In Jesus’ parable, the one caring for the tree begs the owner for more chance to cultivate the tree, hoping to bring it back to life. But if the tree bears no fruit, the tree will be cut down. This is the note of urgency; we can run out of time. We can become so resistant to God’s plan that our Tree of Life becomes barren.

How are we cultivating our life with God?  Is time running out? Do we look back on our lives and see we have no fruit on our tree? Do we make time for mass or, do we make excuses not to attend mass? I don’t have time for prayer is another excuse. A wise monk once told me wake up an hour earlier and sit in the silence of your heart in prayer with God.

The door to our hearts must be open to the will of God. Once we open that door, then we can nurture our tree with a labor of love. That labor of love is prayer, mass, confession and mercy. So if our fig tree is bare, let us begin to cultivate our tree before time runs out.

Bernard of Clairvaux