Be not barren, but fruitful

Friends in Christ, today in the gospel we have this famous scene of Christ going to the temple. And it is interesting, that on the way there, he is hungry, and he goes up to this little fig tree, but finds no fruit on it,  only leaves. ‘And when he reached it he found nothing but leaves, and he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!’

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Upon returning that way,  they saw the fig tree withered to its roots. Peter said, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered.”

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Regarding this passage, St. Josemaria says that we ourselves should never be like that tree – unproductive. We are all called to be fruitful for the Lord in this life, to build up the kingdom wherever we can.   Christ has said: ‘This is my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit.’  So this is what we must do.

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People will say, ‘But I don’t know how to speak to people about the faith, I get nervous.’

‘I don’t have much talent,’

‘I better wait awhile before asking my neighbor to Mass with us.’

‘But I’m afraid to speak to my adult daughter about…’

But, but, but….

The apostolate is our mission to bring Christ to the world, in our daily life, to others.

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The saints tell us that we can’t live a false apostolate. We don’t want only an appearance of a fruitful life, while in reality wasting our time away.  A fruitful apostolate requires an interior life, a life in relation to the Lord: praying, thinking about God’s will, living for God’s glory.

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This world is confused, but underneath it is a real hunger for the True Way. Many people are nothing but leaves. Leaves, no fruit.  But when people find us, let them find the real thing.