When a hungry soul passes me by in this lifetime, they can reach out to me and consume the fruit of my soul.
I have been reflecting on my life over the last few days.
You see, it is important that I live a good life – but even more than that – it is important that I live THE good life that God has planned for me.
And I know this because of the way that God treated the fig tree that was out of production…
“On the following day, when they came from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if He could find anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And He said to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ And His disciples heard it... As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to Him, ‘Master, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered.’” (Mark 11:11-26).
That was a significant and drastic reaction. Christ caused the fig tree to wither and die simply because it was doing some good but not all the good that He knew it was capable of…
Before her conversion, Saint Teresa of Avila was a Carmelite nun for twenty years. And during that time she did good. She lived in the convent and prayed a bit and followed all the expectations of her society. From the perspective of all those around her, Saint Teresa Avila was flawless. But inside – in her soul – she was a bit good, but not the good that God had created her to be. One day, she walked past a statue of Christ being scourged at the Pillar and experienced an instant conversion. She fell to her knees, asking God to change her ways and allow her to experience a true vocation for God.
And I have been thinking about that today. For my own life is like that of the fig tree. There is nothing terribly wrong with it, but my whole life is a bit good. I produce a lot of leaves, but if my Blessed Lord wished to walk by and taste of the fruit of my labours, He would leave unsatisfied. And when I think about this today, I am overcome with shame. Because I life a fruitless life and my God could walk by and cause me to wither away. And so, instead, I pray for the Grace of a true conversion. I pray for the Grace to be able to bear fruit through the trials of my life. And for that fruit to cause me to be of use to someone else. So that when a hungry soul passes me by in this lifetime, they can reach out to me and consume the fruit of my soul.
For then – with such production as that – will my life have meaning in the way that God intended it to…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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