Reflections on Scripture | Friday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time

Join Msgr. Don Fischer as he reads and delivers a short reflection on today’s gospel, followed by 3 1/2 minutes of contemplative music and a closing prayer. Msgr. Don hopes that today’s reflection on the gospel will empower you to carry the Word in your heart throughout the day.

Choose either the video or audio below.

Gospel
Mark 11:11-26

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area.
He looked around at everything and, since it was already late,
went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry.
Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf,
he went over to see if he could find anything on it.
When he reached it he found nothing but leaves;
it was not the time for figs.
And he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!”
And his disciples heard it.

They came to Jerusalem,
and on entering the temple area
he began to drive out those selling and buying there.
He overturned the tables of the money changers
and the seats of those who were selling doves.
He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area.
Then he taught them saying, “Is it not written:

My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples?
But you have made it a den of thieves.”

The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it
and were seeking a way to put him to death,
yet they feared him
because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.
When evening came, they went out of the city.

Early in the morning, as they were walking along,
they saw the fig tree withered to its roots.
Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look!
The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”
Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God.
Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’
and does not doubt in his heart
but believes that what he says will happen,
it shall be done for him.
Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,
believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.
When you stand to pray,
forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance,
so that your heavenly Father may in turn
forgive you your transgressions.”


Reflection

The reason this story of the fig tree is so important is because it reveals something that Jesus is learning. And what He's learning is how to be the instrument that His father intends Him to be, to transform the world. And when His human anger gets the best of Him, He wants to destroy, not to save. And so it's clear that what He's saying to His disciples by their reflecting on what this all means.

He's saying, look I've learned that I cannot save the world by first hating it and wanting to destroy it. And He gives the most amazing advice Don't pray for anyone or anything without first forgiving the person or the situation. Forgiveness is essential to offering grace to another. The 

Closing Prayer 

Father, you teach us that if we are going to be an instrument of your grace for someone else, we must get past our anger, our resentment, our desire for retaliation. We must always forgive the offense, the offender, and then pray for transformation. And we ask this In Jesus’ name, Amen

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Kyle Cross