Of Fig Trees and Lamentations

Of Fig Trees and Lamentations
Homily presented at St Vincent de Paul Church, Albany, NY
The Third Sunday of Lent in the Liturgical Year C

    You will be pleased to know that Jewish and Greek Christian traditions tell us that the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden was not an apple but a juicy fig. Old Testament prophets used the fig tree as a metaphor for Israel and Judah. Jeremiah (8:13) for example lamented there will be no figs on the fig tree as a punishment for the Israelites’ spiritual bareness.
    Jesus used the fig tree story (Luke 13:1-9) to send the same message to his followers and detractors about the need to repent for their sins. A barren tree represents failure to produce good fruit here on earth. A fruitful tree on the other hand symbolizes faithfulness to God. Adam and Eve flunked that test.
    Depending on what kind it is a fig tree could take a few years to produce figs. So the gardener in the gospel story urged the owner of the orchard to put down the chainsaw and give the barren fig tree more time to bear good fruit.    
    Deborah J. Mumford, professor of homiletics, puts it this way. “Like this [fig] tree, we are often given multiple opportunities to do better, to be better, or to do the right thing.” Yes, the psalmist sang “God is kind and merciful” (Psalm 103: 1-8, 11) And, God is calling us to cooperate to make a difference in the world now. How do we do that?
    We used to think of Lent as strictly a time of remorse and penance. On Ash Wednesday, amid the dust and ashes, some of us heard “Repent and believe in the gospel.” In the original Greek language, the word “repent” means having a change of heart, one that requires a deep, life changing transformation. 
    This Lenten re-shaping of our lives cannot be solitary. That would be self-serving. For our Lenten transformative experiences to have a broader influence on society we must advocate for the overhaul of neighborhoods, governments, religions, corporate monopolies that impact our daily lives.
    Moses was a good example of having a change of heart. In the Exodus story (3:1-8, 13-15) God outlined a new plan for delivering the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity and called Moses to take the lead. 
    But apparently the once intrepid Moses, who was part Egyptian, was afraid to speak up to the Israelites and Pharaoh. God said: “do not worry.” Just tell them I sent you. A younger Moses was an unpredictable vigilante who failed to rescue the Israelites once before. Now he needed divine help. Don’t we all need divine help.
    How do we answer God’s call today, to take a place in the ever unfolding cosmic plan that we attribute to God, to transform the worlds we live in?
​     There is a lot of conversation these days about protecting The Constitution of the United States of America from destructive and delusional ideologies that drain people from their rights and freedoms. One of those rights is the freedom to speak up without being afraid.
    Another constitution, one based on biblical justice, deserves our defense. In 1965 the Constitution on the Church in the Modern World outlined ways to bring joy and hope in times of sorrow and anxiety: Imbalances in the world can be corrected if we promote loving kindness, if we support governments that care for the general welfare of all people, if we protest the indiscriminate killing of people and destruction of their countries, if we foster a peace among all nations.        
    What if we are afraid to speak up like Moses was? Some cannot do so out of fear of getting fired, being deported, or losing health care. Jewish scholar Joel Hoffman writes: “It is destructive tyranny that tries to silence unpleasant voices. One sign of a poorly run society, Hoffman said, is that people are rightly afraid to speak [up].” What about those who can speak up?
    The combination of our personal and communal transformations gives us the courage to speak up against the alarming absence of moral values, the disregard for ethical norms. Regardless of our personal opinions about local, national or global affairs our collective voices can eliminate oppressive and corrupt political, financial, and even religious rulers.
    Pastoral theologian William Bauch cautions us that “transformation is seldom instant. It is a slow, quiet affair that usually takes place as a result of repeated small moments, not big ones … it is the result of many little acts of kindness, unnoticed charities, secret prayers, quiet compassions.”
    Can we be that patient? Can we afford to merely moan or lament all the troubles that people are suffering without responding to their cries? Will we then feel guilty and the need to repent for not addressing their needs? Is this all that Lent is about. 
    Professor of ethical studies, Jennifer McBride reminds us: “The social and political significance of Lent and Holy Week is precisely this lament—the ability to open oneself up to the pains and needs of the world.” 
    Not to identify with those victimized by structural sin, McBride continues, will undoubtedly make us feel guilty. But by repenting and living by the gospels we can experience a change of heart and become more passionate about repairing the world.    
    Moses did return to Egypt after all. And he was not afraid to speak up for the incarcerated Israelites. He and his sister Miriam ushered them to the promised land of freedom and prosperity. Along the way, girded with new hope and joy, unaware of the hardships ahead of them, I imagine they just may have eaten nourishing figs from very healthy fig trees.
________________

SOURCES:

Arminta Fox, Professor of Religion & Feminist biblical scholar, Augusta University

William Bausch in Hungry and You Fed Me. Jim Knipper, editor. (NJ: Clear Vision Books 2012) 64-65.

Joel Hoffman. “Democracy, Oligarchy and Free Speech” in Ancient Wisdom, Modern Lives <[email protected]>

Jennifer M. McBride in Radical Discipleship: A Liturgical Politics of the Gospel (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2017) 122-23

Deborah J. Mumford, Professor of Homiletics, Howard University

Joerg Reiger, theologian at Vanderbilt University “The Impossibility of Deep Solidarity” in Theology in the Capitalocene: Ecology, Identity, Class, and Solidarity. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2022) 172

Left out of the homily >>>

In the second reading today ... Paul warned the Corinthians, who were upset over Jewish restrictive dietary laws. (1Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12 ). He spoke of the dangers of speaking up and confronting those who have different convictions, ideas and practices.