Dear Spirit, Nurture Us like you nurtured Jesus to be fruitful about the fig tree. There is every appearance of fruitfulness in some people, for example, rulers. They have a fine upbringing in circumstances of status and wealth. It may be the case they lacked such, but decided to gravitate toward those possessing outward appearances and are shaped by them. But status and wealth are not soil in which to grow. There is a barrenness within rulers, little spirit to be discerned, no fruitfulness. And what of us? This season is not a time for us to make excuses for our own sterility. Have we gravitated toward appearances of fruitfulness, like status and wealth? As we are barren, absent our own moral agency we are like the fig tree. We can expect not God’s wrath but nature’s repurposing – as compost. Let us be honest about that which results in our inability or unwillingness to nurture – trappings of status and wealth or fears of losing them. To pitch the trappings that result in our barrenness to the compost heap is to repent, to regret so deeply as to change who we are and nurture new spiritual habits. We choose to nurture life and all the fullness it can bring. Life is an adventure, and it begins with being in touch. What is the deep and nurturant soil available to me? With whom can I take root? What is our shared fruitfulness? Who are the people I know lacking soil and roots and to whom I can say, ‘I shall cultivate the ground around them and nurture them?’ Together we will nurture a fruitful tomorrow.
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, nurture us so that we give care to our depth.
Question: How am I a nurturing person?
March 23, 2025 Gospel Luke 13:1-9 Third Sunday in Lent