The gospel story was a plea to give a plant ( the fig tree)
another chance to grow fruit, despite the fact that it had not produce any
fruit for three years. Jesus replied: “leave it for this year, and I
shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the
future. If not you can cut it down.”
In the retreat I taught this afternoon, I
quoted the Dalai Lama as teaching that all people are a “masterpiece.” However, none
of us are quite perfect and so in our journey of faith we may not produce the
fruit that Jesus has in mind.
The fruit Jesus wants us to produce are
compassion, empathy, forgiveness and generosity. However, there are obstacles
to our growth which is why we fail to grow and worse sometimes come up barren.
So, like a good gardener, Our Lord gives
us a “second chance.” The obstacles to joy in our life could be suffering and
pain that we carry in our hearts. We cannot deny the hurts caused by injustice,
poor decisions or selfishness. But instead of being paralyzed and failing to
grow, we are asked to put on the mind and heart of Jesus and learn that it is through
suffering that we become more compassionate, more generous, more a people who
really care about others.
The secret to joy that is more than happiness
is simply this. Put others ahead of you and let go of the anger and frustration
that weigh you down. When you are focused on others, there is no room for self-pity
or exhausting yourself with the stress found on your Twitter account.
I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that this
Lent offers you the opportunity to be transformed into the masterpiece God sees
in you. Let go of your stress and anxiety and concentrate your time, praying
for others, lending a hand to a neighbor, or simply being grateful for all the
wonderful people that God has given to you in this life. Spend a moment in
silence and be humble and offer a prayer of gratitude for all the “gardeners”
in your life who have given you a “second chance.”
