For the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time…
A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
Luke 6:43-44
It takes time to grow a good fruit tree. How one cares for it affects its yields. Jesus is doing more than giving horticultural advice. His sermon offers a simple lesson with a profound application to our lives. And the timeline for successful growth is daily dedication over time. This metaphor of becoming a healthy tree is powerful.
It doesn’t matter when you were baptized or came to Christ. It matters how you respond to the daily journey of living for Christ. Has the seed, that is the Word, taken root in you? How have you prepared the young sapling of your faith to survive storms? Have you tended to its good growth, giving it deep roots that fruit may come?
One day, we will be judged by the fruits of our lives. Jesus, the patient Gardener, lovingly offers mercy that none may perish but be saved. But first, we must the cultivate our lives with on-going repentance. We must ask for the graces to live the Christian life with vigor. We must grow stronger and more reliable with age. We must tend to the tree in every season. Only then, might we bear the good fruit the Gardener intends, throughout life.
Cultivate my life, Lord, however you see fit.
