27 Feb – St Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
St Gregory of Narek, Grigor Narekatsi (c. 950 -1003/1011) was an Armenian mystical and lyrical poet, monk, and theologian. He is venerated as a saint in the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic Churches and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis in 2015.
- Wikipedia
Ecc 5:1-10
Mk 9:41-50
He is like a tree… that yields its fruit in due season.
A few months back, I attended a class reunion. It’s amazing how each of us are at different stages in life. Some have three kids. Some have only one. Someone already has a thriving business. Some have travelled the world. At times like this, it is easy for us to start comparing ourselves to where others are in their lives. And this comparison doesn’t just happen in secular settings. Even as Catholics, we sometimes end up comparing ourselves to others who seem to have already found their vocations.
Our Catholic Church teaches us that our vocations provide the easiest path for us to attain sanctity. In other words, it’s the easiest way for us to reach heaven. And who does not desire heaven? Who does not desire for our way to heaven to be as easy as possible? That is why it is not difficult to imagine the frustration some of us feel when we are in a state of getting to our vocation, in a state of waiting. Some of us are so eager to start bearing fruit.
Today’s Psalm reminds us that if we put our trust in God, we will bear fruit in due season. Trees don’t bear fruit all the time. There is a good season for bearing fruit. And it’s different for different trees. Nowadays, we seem to want some trees to bear fruit all year round. And even if that happens, it’s still the fruit that was harvested in season that is the most delicious.
When I was young, I would spend some time in my grandmother’s place. It was a rural area and there were many fruit-bearing trees in our backyard. Every day, my cousins would check for which tree we can get our afternoon snacks from. Our elders would remind us to leave the fruits that are unripe to ripen in the tree. If you pluck fruits too early, they can still ripen but they will not be as tasty as those that became ripe while still attached to the tree. In fact, today, whenever we buy fruits, we would ask if the fruit was ripened on a tree or detached from the tree. It makes a lot of difference.
I think it is the same with our vocations. Maybe while we are waiting for us to know our vocations, God is giving us the nutrients we need to bear good fruits. God is forming us as we go through the different seasons of our lives. God wants us to allow him to make us bear tasty fruits. So, I hope that in this season of waiting, we can continue to wait in joy and trust in the Lord.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Stephanie Villa)
Prayer: Dearest Lord God, may this time with you be fruitful for me so the fruits can be tastiest.
Thanksgiving: Thank you, Lord, for this time. We know that we are where we are supposed to be.
OXYGEN 
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