Chaplain's Message

Abounding Fruit

“To begin is for everyone, to persevere is for saints,” wrote Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei.

I have a friend who has a green thumb. We will call him Bob. Bob grows many fruits and vegetables in his back yard. Bob’s neighbor, Abel, had a satsuma tree that just did not produce any fruit. Abel was going to cut down the tree.  When Bob heard about this, He asked Abel if he could have the tree.  Abel was glad to get rid of it. Bob dug the tree out of the neighbor’s yard and planted it in his own back yard. Bob watered the tree, fertilized it, put manure around it, nurtured it. Bob took care of his satsuma tree for three years in the same way. He continued to nurture it. 

Then in the fourth season, I believe, it started to produce, but only a few satsumas. Bob kept taking care of his tree in the same way each season.  Each year he would get more and more fruit.  In a few years, he had hundreds of satsumas. Big, beautiful, juicy ones. Better than any satsuma you would find in a store. 

So what is the moral of this true story?  I think it is the need to have persistence and perseverance in trying to bear fruit. Bob persevered in the attention he gave to nurturing his satsuma tree. Let us apply this to bearing fruit in our own lives.

Sometimes we keep trying to do something good, but nothing seems to come from it.  We feel like we are wasting our time. But we need to keep at it. We need to keep praying.  Fr. Escriva said, “Don’t tell Jesus you want consolation in prayer . . . Tell him always that what you want is perseverance. Persevere in prayer. Persevere, even when your efforts seem sterile.  Prayer is always fruitful.”

So keep running the race.  Strain ahead to attain the glory that Jesus has prepared for us in heaven. Persevere in prayer. Continue to do the good works laid out for you. Be assured that if God is asking you to do something, He will give you the grace to do it. St. Paul reminds us, “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1:6)

May your fruit abound!

Deacon Mark Clancy