MY daily reflection and prayer:
Friday, May 27, 2016
The Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Dear my friends,
Here is the Gospel for us today according to St. Mark 11:11-26
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the Temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the Temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the Temple. He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
***
JESUS withered a barren fig tree right down to its roots even though he knew that it wa not the time for harvesting figs. What does it mean for us today?
The Gospel tells us that at the time Jesus was hungry. That Jesus withered the fig tree, it was not a punishment for not satisfying his hunger. In fact, it symbolizes his hunger to save us. So it’s a spiritual hunger rather than physical.
And the fig tree symbolizes Jerusalem. At the time, Jesus entered Jerusalem but he found the people there occupied in world activity, even unjust activity. Like a fig tree, Jerusalem had no fruit at all before Christ. There was no faith. So Jesus rebuked them and then invitehis disciples, saying, “Have faith in God… and you can remove mountains…”
This message is also intended to each of us. Jesus Christ calls us to have faith in God then we bear best fruit in this life. Do we realize that the Jesus Christ expects us to have faith in God and to bear fruit?
In the Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist while worshipping Jesus Christ, we invest our time well, in both prayer and action, to bear best fruit in our lives. It’s through prayer and adoration that we’re filled with apostolic zeal.
Let’s pray: Lord Jesus Christ, increase our faith and make our fruitful and effective in serving you. May our prayer be the source of interior strength, and be our action a loving prayer now and forever. Amen.
Kredit foto: Ilustrasi (Ist)
