Bear Fruit in the Future

Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

For those who live according to the flesh are concerned with the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit with the things of the spirit.  The concern of the flesh is death, but the concern of the spirit is life and peace.  For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  Romans 8:5-8

“He said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none.  So cut it down.  Why should it exhaust the soil?’  He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future.
If not you can cut it down.’”  Luke 13:7-9

Piety

Father, have patience with me.  Just a little longer.  Jesus, leave that ax at the root of the tree while the Holy Spirit works on helping me to change the direction of my life and where I look for happiness.  Amen.

Study

Following another call to change, the parable of the barren fig tree presents a story about the continuing patience of God with those who have not yet given evidence of their repentance.  In other Gospels, Jesus curses the fig tree and calls on it to be barren forever.  In Matthew and Mark’s rendering of the story, no one shall enjoy the fruit of that tree ever.

This story reinforces the warning given just before: “But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”  This is ANOTHER wake up call for us.  If we want to enjoy the “life and peace” that comes from living in the spirit not the flesh, change we must.

Why is Luke different?  Why do Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts go directly to cursing the fig tree for all time?  Maybe Luke is trying to be a little gentler with his audience.  His audience is mourning the slaughter in the temple.  Luke’s account stresses that when God has waited for us longingly like the Prodigal Father, we may hope that he will bear with us yet a little longer, but we cannot expect that he will bear always.

Luke knows that Jesus is more concerned with the eternal than the temporal.  Jesus, therefore, does not comment on the political implications of the temple slaughter.  He was not sent to fix personal problems, political disputes or petty bickering.  Jesus was sent to save and he uses every chance he gets to help us to save ourselves by our own actions.

Jesus does not need to remind them of the danger and death that awaits because they have witnessed the death of the Gentiles in the temple.  But the ax lies always at the root of the trees.

“Produce good fruits as evidence of your repentance; and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”  Luke 3:8-9

Action

Friday I met a young Romania couple who are an amazing inspiration and example Christian people who are producing good fruits.  Adrian and Lavinia Dreana are visiting the United States to find ways to get greater support for their Living Hope Center.  They are not bearing fruit in the future...they are bearing fruit today (and in teh future.)

A wonderful Christian friend who now lives near Seattle introduced me to them and set up our meeting. 

Adi and Lavi believe that they have been called by God to serve central Romania -- including serving the poorest of the poor.  They have created the Living Hope Center to provide the spirit of life and peace to their neighbors. 

They have established a series of greenhouses where people can incubate crops for food and then for sale or trade with the surrounding areas.  Maybe they are not producing figs but they are bearing many tomatoes.  J 

In addition, there is a maternity center where women get clothes and make clothes and a health care clinic.  They combat all kinds if illness including breast cancer, a leading cause of death in Romania.  

Adri and Lavi have 3 daughters: Becky, Seia and Lala who were under the watchful eye of their grandmother and uncle back home in Romania while they traveled here.

 

As part of the newly educated and emerging middle class, they have elected to stay in their home country rather than take their education and move away.  They are committed to improving life – person by person – in the area known as Targu Jiu.  

In addition to the agricultural mission, they also are working to build a network of doctors and nurses who can serve the people.  Without this network, many times people have to pay bribes just to get medical care.  They are truly bringing “health care reform” to life in a place where it is needed so desperately.  Talk about an affordable care action!

In an era when people question everything (even the Golden Rule), just sitting down with them allows you to see and feel the smiles in their eyes and the light of their laughter.  Through it all comes the commitment to the Gospel that we read today. 

Read more about their ministry here:  http://plcc.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=137189.  You can support the Living Hope Center through their American partner non-profit Mercy Walk.