04 Mar 2011, Friday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Sir 44:1, 9-13

Now will I praise those godly men,
our ancestors, each in his own time.
But of others there is no memory,
for when they ceased, they ceased.
And they are as though they had not lived,
they and their children after them.
Yet these also were godly men
whose virtues have not been forgotten;
Their wealth remains in their families,
their heritage with their descendants;
Through God’s covenant with them their family endures,
their posterity, for their sake.

And for all time their progeny will endure,
their glory will never be blotted out.

Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b Responsorial Psalm R. (see 4a)

The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
Mk 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.”

Meditation: Mark 11:11-26

“May no one ever eat of your fruit again!” (Mark 11:14)

What a dramatic display Jesus made! First, he curses a fig tree, and it withers. Then he interrupts the ordinary business of the Temple, overthrowing tables and releasing doves back into the wild. Something new, something decisive was coming, and Jesus seemed eager to usher it in.

Jesus’ words to the fig tree may seem strange at first, especially since Mark tells us “it was not the time for figs” (Mark 11:13). But it’s helpful to know that in Jesus’ day, the fig tree was a well-established metaphor for God’s people—a people who had been commanded to produce the fruit of their covenant with God. We can think, too, of the parable in Luke 13:6-9, where a landowner is frustrated at his unproductive fig tree, but the gardener persuades him to give it a bit more time. Will this tree ever bear fruit?

Well, the time had come for Israel to be judged for its failure to practice justice, to share salvation with the world, and to listen to God’s final Messenger, his only Son.

By clearing out the Temple as he did, Jesus showed that this central symbol of the Jewish nation was about to be overthrown. The “thieves” or revolutionaries who thought violence could drive out their enemies were to become victims of violence themselves. Jesus, meanwhile, would decisively defeat the true enemies of Israel and of humankind: sin and death.

The time has come for us as well. Lent is approaching fast, a season that calls for decisive action. No more hedging bets. No more sitting on the fence. Are we for Jesus or against him? If there are ungodly habits or attachments in our lives, they need to wither away. Now.

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Remember that whenever God calls you, he also strengthens you. Jesus’ journey to Calvary may have been a lonely one, but our journey through Lent is not. Christ is with us every step of the way.

“Jesus, thank you for overthrowing my enemies. Open my eyes to the ways in which you want to purify me this Lent. Help me to take hold of your love so it can transform me.”

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