Fr. Lucas shared the key theme in these readings today is reconciliation and especially that our God is merciful and patient -- I would add, even with our less than fertile choices and sometimes barren stupidities.  This is blatantly clear with the parable of the fig tree that has yet to bare fruit after 3 years and is taking up garden soil and precious nutrients.  The owner tells the gardener to cut it down but he begs for one more year -- God's patience with us in our barren lives.

I think we can take this parable one step further because the gardener says that he will take special care to nurture and fertilize the tree during that coming year.  Maybe it is a wild twist, but I believe we are truly called to nurture each other.  Out goal is not to simply do good and to get ourselves to heaven.  I believe we are all in this together.  We are the Body of Christ and we must fertilize, prune and support each other so that the Body of Christ flourishes and we can all reach our heavenly goal.  It has been said that a spouse' goal is to get his/her spouse to heaven -- or it takes an entire village to raise a child.  It does and our church is only as strong as the weakest link.  We need to seek out the weak link and strengthen it, build it up with encouragement and education (yeah!).  So maybe this parable is also about community -- it only takes 2 to form a small community -- the gardner and his fig tree.  Maybe he should try singing to it, or more importantly get that fig tree a mate!