5th Sunday of Ordinary Time [C]

 


FIFTH SUNDAY, ORDINARY TIME [C]


You might see a “Giving Tree” at your place of worship—especially during the period that leads up to the Christmas season. The concept derives from an old Near Eastern fable about a tree that bears fruit perpetually and never seems to age. Locals partake of the fruit, along with those who are passing through on their travels. However, the day arrives when a greedy merchant announces that he has purchased the parcel of land surrounding the mystical tree. He fences off the property, denying the people from having any access to the tree. And as a result, the tree withers and eventually dies. The tree flourished when it was allowed to share of its abundance. Now that the fruit is being retained, the tree can longer be considered a “Giving Tree.”  The very nature of the tree is being confounded. If it can’t share, then it has no reason to go on living. 


Our God can be likened to a tree. He bears a particular kind of fruit; we’ll call it the fruit of holiness. The yield in this case can be described as overwhelming. God is being proclaimed as “holy, holy, holy” in Isaiah chapter six. This three-fold expression can be understood as the Bible’s way of saying that we are dealing here with an “off the scales” reading.  He is holy beyond all measure. Nevertheless, it’s not as if God is holy just for the sake of being holy. Rather, he is prepared to share his special brand of holiness; he is prepared to share his holiness with each and every one of us. It’s something that we attribute to his nature. By its very nature the Giving Tree shares what it has to offer. This very same principle can be applied to the God of the Bible. 


For our part, we are the ones who stand in need. It’s clear to us that we lack this specific quality, the quality of holiness. We can identify with Peter when he refers to himself as a sinful man (Luke 5:8). And we can relate to St. Paul’s experience of regret as he recalls the waywardness of his past (1st Cor. 15:9). When Isaiah acknowledges his lack of worthiness, the Lord responds by providing him with the gift of purification (6:7). Additionally, he responds to Peter and to Paul by placing them on the path of conversion. They each will go on to have their impact as prominent saints, as champions of the Christian faith. A special variety of fruit is being shared with them. We need to appreciate the fact that this very same fruit is being made available to us. 


God is the tree that will last forever, the tree that keeps on giving. Peter will eventually be identified as the “rock” upon which the church is made to stand and deliver (Matt. 16:18). We profess the church to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. These are listed as the four marks of the church (see the Catechism, section 811). The mark of holiness signifies a sacramental reality: namely, that the holiness of our God is literally being shared, through all generations. When the church confers her Sacraments, this represents an enduring pattern through which the Lord’s holiness can be shared with all those who qualify as his adopted children (Rom. 8:15). 

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