February 27, 2016

3rd Sunday of Lent - A reflection by Fr. leo

 

Got to love the parable of the fig tree.  The owner of the orchard wanted to uproot the tree because it had not bore fruit for three years.  That is a long time and there didn’t seem to be any signs of promise for the future.  Yet, the gardener persuades him to let him tend to it carefully for one more year, and if after that there is no fruit, remove the tree.

 

For me the gardener is the Christ who comes to awaken us so that we may bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Always patient, Christ tends to us carefully that we may come to live in the fullness of the Spirit.  This is what Lent is about; a springtime to awaken us to live in the Spirit bearing fruit fifty, sixty, a hundred fold.

 

As we trust that God is doing his part, what are the ways God is calling us to live more fully in his Spirit.  What opportunities do we have to awaken in Christ?

 

For me the answer is in everything and at every moment, as long as we learn to prayerfully live in the moment.  With an openness to God in every moment, all things begin to speak blessing to us.  To get dialed in to living in the moment we may need to take 20 minutes in the morning to meditate and then move out of that centeredness to embrace each moment as a dialogue with God.

 

As our living in God in each moment becomes more habitual, we will come to that moment when we can say with St. Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”