March 11, 2007
Third Sunday of Lent

Fig Tree

The Gospel reading for this third week in Lent presents to us a parable, "the parable of the fig tree." In this parable we hear about an owner and his frustration about the fig tree that is not bearing fruit. The owner of the vineyard doesn't ask anything extraordinary out of the fig tree; he is not asking that the fig tree bear apples; he asks only that it accomplish what fig trees ought to accomplish. The point is that God does not ask us to become what we are not. The fig tree was only required to produce figs. No more.

We are asked only to accomplish what God has given gifts for. He is not asking that we produce more fruit than everyone else or better fruit than that which our brothers and sisters in Christ produce, but he does expect us to produce the fruit that we are able to produce. Each one of us is able to bear fruit; each one of us is gifted by God with the ability to produce the fruit that we can produce by virtue of the gifts that God has given us

The question that is left for us to answer, a question that is before us every day, are we willing to give it our best?

Silito

Take a look at some of the previous messages from the Rector