We are almost halfway through Lent 2016. During our Lenten Journey – what have we discovered or re-discovered about our God, about Jesus, about life, about true love, about growing as a person of faith, about forgiveness, about mercy, about patience… about whatever is good and of God that is changing us?
In today’s Gospel, we really see the patience of the gardener – who represents God in the story. But, I would guess, most of us would be like the owner of the orchard who for three years waited for the fig trees to bear fruit. He had waited enough… yet the gardener asks, maybe better put, pleads with the owner to “give it one more year, one more growing season” to bear fruit, with his efforts of cultivation.
The Gospel is a story of patience…
In all honesty… a virtue of God, that seems to be very lacking in our society today.
Through this Gospel story, Jesus – some 200 years later – may very well be asking us, to be more patient in any number of ways, with any number of situations, with any number of people, and ever with God going forward from today…
As our journey of Lent and faith and life continues, may we get to KNOW the Shepherd more deeply each day… and LIVE the message of the Shepherd, the message of the gardener of today’s Gospel, of Jesus… a bit more each day. (Amen)