Are We Barren?

By Harry Merchant, Stewardship Council

A few weeks ago, at Sunday Mass, we listened to the parable of the land owner and his barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9). He had planted the tree with the expectation that it would bear fruit. However, for three years it gave no fruit, so he told the vinedresser to cut it down. In reply, the vinedresser asked to give it one more year. During that time, he would nourish it and take special care so that it might be productive. Then, if it didn’t produce, it would be cut down.

As with all of Christ’s parables, they contain a lesson for us. This one contains a lesson in stewardship, in making the best use of our God given gifts. We are the fig trees in the Lord’s vineyards. We are the body through whom he is made visible in today’s world. Like the fig tree, we are each given life to produce results, to bear fruit. By our uniqueness we make Christ visible in different ways. We have been given different talents, different gifts, and are expected to produce different fruits. However, like the fig tree in the parable, too many of us are barren, too many of us lay dormant. We expect others to do all of Christ’s work, while we lay back and complain about the world’s problems, or even our own church, while remaining silent, doing nothing to correct or improve the situation. As a result, much of Christ’s work never gets undertaken.
Like the fig tree, we are created to be productive. Yet, what we produce is not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of others. If I am fruitful, everyone benefits. If I bear no fruit, no one benefits. Then I am useless and may as well be cut down.

Yet there is a sign of hope in the parable. The vinedresser cared about his fig tree. He knew that if he gave it special nourishment, it could be revived and bear fruit. So he asked if he could give it another chance. We all have friends who at one time were faith filled, who bore fruit by their involvement in Church activities, but who are no longer active, no longer bearing fruit. Should they be cut down and forgotten? I think the parable says no. What they need is someone to reach out to them, to invite them back, to nourish them so that they once more might come to life in their faith. If we do not use our gifts to do this, who will?