Bearing Fruit

"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?" Lk 13:7

At the time of Jesus, fig trees were often planted in grape vineyards and took three or four years to bear edible fruit. More important, to be healthy, fig trees needed large amounts of water, a resource which to this day Israel has in short supply. It made perfect sense to cut down a fig tree that was not producing good fruit after three years. Nevertheless, Jesus insisted that God was patient and would give his people more time to grow as long as they worked at bearing fruit.

The lesson remains important today in helping us understand God and God's love for us. Like the Israelites of old, God wants us to succeed, to grow, to understand, and to internalize the great truths of our faith. When that happens, we will bear fruit, and the fruit will feed the world. God is patient, but we must work and do what it takes to bring forth good fruit. We need to water, fertilize and tend to the fig tree that is our faith.

Today, do something that will help you grow in faith.

What have been the most important elements in your faith life?