Letting Trust in God Become Our Fruitfulness
Friday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time // May 29th, 2026 // Mark 11:11-26
Today’s Gospel begins with the moment when Jesus curses a fig tree for having nothing on it but leaves. It had not borne any fruit, so he says to the tree, “may no one ever eat of your fruit again!” On the surface, it seems rather immature that Jesus would be getting angry at a tree, which does not even have a mind of its own, for not bearing any fruit yet. However, this moment of emotion from Christ goes much deeper than what we can see on a surface level. Jesus does not like how the tree hasn’t borne any fruit; the tree is not adhering to what it was made to do. In the same way, we, being made in the image and likeness of God, are meant to shine His light and bear fruit in this world (Genesis 1:28). Jesus tells the disciples to go and “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). So, when we do not adhere to what he were made for, when we do not follow the Lord and use the gifts He gives us for the betterment of the world, that is not a good thing. God wants more of us. In this story, Jesus is cursing the unfaithful.
Next, we see Christ cleansing the temple, telling those who were buying and selling within it that they have made it a den of thieves when it was meant to be a house of prayer for all (Mark 11:17). This declaration of Christ’s can be especially applicable to us today. Society in 2026 is largely focused on feeling; people largely decide whether or not they want to do any particular act based on how it makes them feel, whether it is doing chores, working, going to school, or even going to church. However, we are especially prohibited from viewing worship of the Lord in this way. When we go to church, we are not going so we feel good; we are going to worship God. We are human; sometimes we cannot help but feel that a certain Mass, or other church service, is boring or dreary. However, our feelings really do not matter in this scenario. We are not there to serve ourselves; we are there to give reverent worship to God. The moment we begin to serve our own desires in church is the moment we have it all wrong. And, in acts like doing chores or helping others, we must also deny ourselves. The help we provide can ease stress for another, and as one community of children under God, we are willing to help our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Finally, in the last section of today’s Gospel reading, Peter notices that the fig tree which Jesus cursed has withered (Mark 11:21). Jesus responds by telling him and the others to have faith in God; He says that if we truly believe in our hearts that He can do what we ask for in prayer, then it will be done for us (Mark 11:22-23). A reason why many of us are scared to use our gifts, and therefore scared to bear fruit, is because we don’t believe God can really use us; it stems from an inadequate view of one’s self-worth. However, this is certainly not how God sees us, so we must not view ourselves this way either. We must see ourselves with the dignity that God has bestowed upon us, and that means trusting that He can use us for good. We must bear fruit by trusting God. And, it is no accident that the temple scene was placed in between this one and when Jesus initially curses the fig tree in today’s Gospel; He wants us to know that in order to fully trust God, we must deny the desire to take control of our own lives.