Jesus touched life with gratitude. Examine the bread-passages of Jesus in the Gospels. He has not picked up a loaf without gratitude. After the resurrection, when Jesus walked with the disciples they first did not recognise him, they were doubtful, but at the breaking of the bread as it was customary with Jesus he took bread and gave thanks, and the disciples unambiguously knew that it was Jesus.
We as religious have much to be grateful for. You are a fig tree planted in a vineyard. Fig trees do not need much care, but vineyards need a lot of care and attention.
The fig tree in the parable of Jesus was planted in a vineyard. We are planted in two vineyards. The first vineyard is our home. Though we have contributed the least to the home, we are given the most importance, we are spoken of first, and our availability and convenience are taken into account first. The second vineyard is fraternity; in our fraternity, we have a physical room, and spiritual and philosophical space. There was a great unsettled question in the literary world, why are there no great women writers like Shakespeare, Dante, Milton, etc? It was Virginia Wolf who answered saying, because they are deprived of a room/space. We are average people, but we are given a lot. I am a fig tree planted in a vineyard (two vineyards).
Notes taken during my annual retreat, preached by Bobby Jose Kattikad, Capuchin.
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