The word of the day is “fruit.”  Today in Matthew 21:18-43, we read of another astonishing act of the Lord. We think of the Lord as merciful and longsuffering, and He is. Yet as He returns from Bethany to the Holy City, He stops to pick figs from a tree on the side of the road. But the tree was bearing only leaves.  In response, Jesus says, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again” (OSB vs. 18). Immediately the tree withers. The Gospel of Mark makes this seemingly spiteful action is even more puzzling. Mark says that figs were not in season at that time (Mark 11:13). Why then should Jesus expect to find fruit on it?  And why destroy it? The Story…
The word of the day is “wait.” In our reading of 1 Thessalonians 1: 6-10, St. Paul recalls that the Thessalonians had received the Gospel with joy as well as trials. The Apostle thanks God that the Thessalonians have turned from idolatry to the worship of God. And they have learned “to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead…” (vs. 10). The virtue of waiting is a predominant theme in this Epistle. Here at the beginning of his letter, the Apostle refers to the expectation of the return of Christ. And at the end of the Epistle, St. Paul prays that “your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our…
The word of the day is “wait.” In our reading of 1 Thessalonians 1: 6-10, Paul recalls that the Thessalonians had received the Gospel with joy as well as trials. The Apostle thanks God that the Thessalonians have turned from idolatry to the service of God. And they have learned “to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead…” (vs. 10). The virtue of waiting is a predominant theme in this Epistle. Here at the beginning of his letter, the Apostle refers to the expectation of the return of Christ. And at the end of the Epistle, St. Paul prays that “your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord…
The word of the day is “wait”  In our reading of 1 Thessalonians 1: 6-10, St. Paul recalls that the Thessalonians had received the Gospel with joy as well as trials. The Apostle thanks God that the Thessalonians have turned from idolatry to the service of God. And they have learned “to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead…” (vs. 10). The virtue of waiting is a predominant theme in this Epistle. Here at the beginning of his letter, the Apostle refers to the expectation of the return of Christ. And at the end of the Epistle, St. Paul prays that “your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our…