A WITHERED TREE

PRAYER PAUSE

Friday 27 May 2016, Augustine of Canterbury  

A WITHERED TREE

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “Look, Rabbi,” Peter said to Jesus, “the fig tree you cursed has withered away.” (Mark 11:11-26)  

Reflection. Mark brackets the faith of the woman with an issue of blood in chapter 5 with story of Jairos. Here, in chapter 11, he brackets the lack of faith shown in the temple practices with the story of the withered fig tree. It is as though faith is evaporating as the gospel progresses. We may feel something like that today; we have moved from a time of faith to one of unbelief. Yet it is not as simple as that. Mark is about to describe the last days of Jesus, his suffering and death from which deep faith will emerge in the early church. We too look at our time and see the purification under way.

Prayer. Lord, may we welcome your action among us today and see how you are at work everywhere in our world. Amen.