On this Third Sunday of Lent we hear the parable about the fig tree that had not yielded any fruit for three years. The natural response is to cut it down, but the gardener asks for another year when he will cultivate the ground and fertilize it and hopefully, it will bear fruit. All parables are meant to teach us something. What about God’s dealing with us? How patient or impatient is God with us? We all have moments of insight and “ah ha” experiences. We may lose patience with ourselves, but God deals with us differently. Remember the Scripture passage in which God says “my ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts.” In our prayer we try to put ourselves “in line” with God and have God’s view and patience. This is not easy for us. This is part of our Lenten homework.

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.