Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
October 26, 2024
Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
He said to them in reply,
“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way
they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!
Or those eighteen people who were killed
when the tower at Siloam fell on them–
do you think they were more guilty
than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!”
And he told them this parable:
“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,
and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener,
‘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?’
He said to him in reply,
‘Sir, leave it for this year also,
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;
it may bear fruit in the future.
If not you can cut it down.’”
Two things stand out in this gospel passage: a warning about our tendency to judge matters from external circumstances and the need for repentance. Notice that it is “some people” who tell Jesus about what happened. What happened was probably well known; it was probably big news that many were speaking about and about which theories were formulated and conclusions drawn. Jesus draws our attention away from these things, and he calls us to attend to what he has called us to.
In their profession of vows, Benedictine monks and nuns take the vow of conversatio morum. This is often translated as “conversion of ways,” but conversatio gives more of a sense of continual conversion, a way of life characterized by constantly turning from our ways to those of God. This can sound never-ending and exhausting, and it would be if it were not accompanied by the many promises God makes to us as regards aiding us at each and every moment to accomplish what God has called us to in our lives. By being rooted in God’s activity in our lives and cooperating with it, we need not fear perishing, and in fact, we become sources of life to those around us.
The image of the fig tree serves to encourage us. God is patient with us and gives us all that we need to become fruitful on the ground that God has chosen for our dwelling place. Each day, we have the opportunity to turn away from the noise, from the distractions of non-essential matters, to attend to being fruitful in the Lord. Look for such opportunities today, confident in the gardener and in the life coursing through you, for the world needs you even as it needs Christ!
Prayer
Our sinful actions, words, and omissions make us like barren trees. They deserve harsh consequences. And yet, you, Jesus, offer us hope and healing, a hand of reconciliation and restored relationship. Your love for us must be incredibly great because you never tire of forgiving us. Help us to appreciate that forgiveness, not taking it for granted, but not shying away from it either. Thank you for your patience with our weakness and your healing forgiveness of our sins. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Evaristus was the fourth successor of St. Peter—following popes Linus, Cletus, and Clement—and the last pope of the first century AD.
He was son of a Greek Jew from Bethlehem. Legend has it that he divided Rome into seven parishes and assigned seven deacons to serve them. He has been known as a martyr, but this has not been proven. He is probably buried near St. Peter in the Vatican.
His relics rest in the Basilica reliquary chapel.
St. Evaristus, early pope of the Church, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Evaristus is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed October 4, 2024.