Jesus cursed a fig tree that was all blooms, but no fruit. I guess you know what he was telling you there

Friday, 11/29/13

Our Lord’s image of a fig tree bursting into bloom might make you think of other fig trees in sacred literature. For instance, Mark’s Gospel tells about Jesus cursing a fig tree because it as all blooms, but no fruit. I’m sure you know what he was getting at there.

If you dabble in Eastern religions you might recall how the first Buddha Siddartha, Guatamo planted himself beneath a fig tree, vowing, “Though skin and blood and bone dry up, I will not budge until enlightenment comes to me.” As Siddartha stayed sitting there for days, he kept recalling a holy man who over-and-over repeated the words, “Only God is real, I am but an illusion.”

At last, Siddartha decided, “Since I am just an illusion, there is no sense in my wanting enlightenment or anything else.” That had him stopping all desiring, and with that enlightenment came to him. He became the Buddha, or the “Enlightened one.”

Our Catholic saints also cease all desiring, and thus become enlightened. The difference with them is their motivation for ceasing to desire is not that they think of themselves as illusions. No, they stop desiring because the great love they have from God so fills their hearts that they want nothing more.