Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. 

Productivity is highly prized in our society. How quickly and efficiently a person meets certain goals is a measure of how valuable they are. In a similar way, we want tangible results for any effort we put forth. If we don’t get those results, we move on to something else.

Thank God that Jesus does not take this approach with us! He wants us to bear good fruit, but he doesn’t cut us down when our efforts seem unproductive. Instead, he draws closer to us. Like the patient gardener in today’s Gospel, he seeks to cultivate us, not uproot us. He tenderly cares for us, fertilizes our lives with his life-giving Spirit, and prunes away any “branches,” or areas, that may be diseased by our sins.

This sounds awfully attractive, doesn’t it? Who wouldn’t love to have Jesus as their own personal cultivator? So how do we receive his tender, loving care? By drawing close to him even as he draws close to us. We do that by opening our hearts to him each day in prayer so that we can experience his love. We do it by pondering his word in Scripture and welcoming the grace of his sacraments as fertilizer that will help us grow in holiness. And we do it by examining our hearts each day and repenting of any sins we detect so that, in his mercy, he can prune us.

Jesus knows that this can take time, but he is patient. He’s willing to work with us day after day because he is confident that we will flourish under his care.

Today, sit quietly before Jesus, the patient Gardener, and give him permission to do the work that will help you bear fruit. Ask him for a Scripture passage that will feed you throughout the day. Let him show you a wound that needs his healing touch or a sinful habit that needs to be trimmed away. Spending this time with Jesus may be one of the most productive things you do all day!

“Jesus, cultivate my heart so that I can bear good fruit in due season.”

Ephesians 4:7-16
Psalm 122:1-5
Luke 13:1-9