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." (Mark 11:11-26)
Introductory Prayer: Once
again, Lord, I come to you to pray. Even though I cannot see you, I trust that
you are present and want very much to instruct me in your teachings. In the
same way you demonstrate your love me by spending this time with me, I want to
express my love for you by dedicating this time with you in a spirit of faith,
confidence and attention. Here I am, Lord, to listen to you and respond with
love.
Petition: Lord Jesus help
me to learn how to unite prayer and action.
1. Jesus and the Fig Tree: We
witness Jesus withering a barren fig tree right down to its roots even though he
knows that it is not the time for harvesting figs. Jesus never worked a miracle
for himself, so we know it was not a punishment for not satisfying his hunger.
This event immediately precedes his entering the Temple at Jerusalem where he
expects to find people “busy about his Father’s affairs.” Instead he finds them
occupied in worldly activity, and often fraudulent and unjust activity at that.
The fruits of honesty and uprightness that Jesus expects to find are simply not
there; so in a sense the fig tree symbolizes Jerusalem. Am I honest in my
dealings with others? Do I realize that the Lord expects me to bear fruit? Do I
invest my time well, in both prayer and action, to this end?
2. All in a Day’s Work: This
Gospel passage would make for a good documentary on a day in the life of
Christ. He starts out early from Bethany to Jerusalem, he enters the Temple,
faces the wrath of those there as he cleanses it, and then teaches for the rest
of the day before returning to Bethany late in the evening. The very next day
he begins his ministry again by teaching on the importance of faith in prayer.
Jesus did not waste a second of his day; rather, he went about fulfilling his
Father’s will. Still, Jesus was not a busybody. He did not generally meddle in
others’ affairs, but he certainly was not about to allow worldly activity of a
dishonest nature in his Father’s house. And so he throws the dishonest
merchants out of Temple. Do I use my time well? Does that include the time I
dedicate to prayer? Do I always act respectfully in God’s house where my
Eucharistic Lord dwells?
3. Praying with Faith:
Prayer and action are intimately tied together. Jesus was right in driving the
moneychangers and animals from the Temple. Certainly we’re not supposed to busy
ourselves with worldly affairs while we’re in church. But it’s very proper to
bring our worries and concerns, our joys, successes and failures to Christ in
prayer. It’s good for us to ask Our Lord his viewpoint about our concerns and
ask for his grace to continue on. And when we do set aside time specifically
for prayer to encounter Christ, then we find the strength and desire to spread
his message to others. It’s through prayer that we’re filled with apostolic
zeal. When we dedicate our day to loving service of God, our day itself becomes
a prayer. Is my prayer the source of interior strength, and is my action a
loving prayer?
Conversation with Christ: My
Jesus, you ask much of me, but you are always at my side assisting me with your
grace and presence. Help me to use my time wisely on behalf of your Kingdom.
Resolution: I will program in five extra minutes of prayer today for the
sake of serving Christ better.
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