Mercy Me

" 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?'  [The gardener] 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.' " -[ Luke 13: 1-9].


The Old Testament, in the book of Leviticus, calls for a Jubilee year every 50th year. After seven times seven years (49), the 50th year is a time of celebration, liberation and rest.

The Jubilee Year, being a time to relinquish our covetous hold on the things that God gave us,  is also a time to forgive old debts, to show forgiveness to others and to bestow mercy.

 Pope Francis has named this Jubilee Year as "The Year of Mercy."

The parable of the fig tree is a story of Mercy. The owner of a fig tree is dismayed that the little tree has borne no fruit for three years. He orders the gardener to cut the tree down.The owner says, The tree is taking from my soil.

The gardener protests, No, leave it alone. I will cultivate it and fertilize it. Give the little tree another chance.

In this parable, the gardener is a stand-in for God, who in His Divine Mercy, gives us ALL many second chances.

I sometimes wonder at this business of "second chances". We all want to receive second chances ourselves. But too often, we do not want to give others any second chances.

I remember standing in line at the market one weekday morning. Somehow, I had gotten in the line for customers who had fifteen items or fewer. That day, my cart was loaded with a week's worth of groceries.

A man behind me said rather loudly that 'SOME people apparently cannot figure out which line is for only those with fifteen items or fewer.'  I felt my face grow hot and my hands start to shake. I was clearly the one whom this man was talking about.

The truth was, I barely knew what day it was. My father had died suddenly about a year ago. I had had to bring my mother to live near me; since after my father's passing, I found out that she was terminally ill. It fell upon me to care for her.

This was the mother who had treated me cruelly all my life; who had abandoned me in a far away city, after I had barely survived a life and death situation. I steeled myself to care for her. I could not abandon her, as she had abandoned me.

Not long after I had moved my mother near me, my best friend died of cancer. She was a young mother, leaving behind a husband and two young children.

Facing all of these losses, I felt the pain of all my childhood traumas come flooding back upon me. Each day was an agony of pain and shock. It was hard to get through the day.

In the supermarket that day, a kind store employee led me to the correct line. I was still flushed with shame.

I did not feel like standing up on a fruit crate and defending myself. Who would care to hear what my life story was?

But as I read this parable of the fig tree, I can see myself in that tree. This was a time of my life when I was thrown back into survival mode.  I was very far from bearing any fruit. I needed nurturance, cultivation, reassurance, Love.

This is not the first instance I have seen lately of mercilessness. In my town a few years ago, a young woman was sexually assaulted while out jogging. Ugly rumors circulated that she falsely claimed this crime against her, to cover up an affair from her husband. The TRUTH: her attacker was a known predator, who was subsequently arrested for a string of assaults across several states.

In another instance, a woman is criticized for having a "harsh look", when her seriousness stems from a lifetime of abuse and trauma. People avoid her thinking she is mean, when all she wants is to have someone whom she can call a friend.

When the world is merciless and cruel, then we all die by a thousand cuts.

If we expect God to forgive us, we need to begin by becoming more compassionate and merciful towards other human beings.

For, when the world is compassionate and merciful, as God is, then we all have the joy of blossoming like a little fig tree, thriving and bearing much fruit.

[Related Posting: "The Fig Tree", Nov. 18, 2012;  "My Little Fig Tree", March 3, 2013.]

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