Friday,
November 28, 2014
1st Reading:
Rv 20:1-4,11-21:2
Gospel: Lk 21:29-33
Jesus said to his disciples, “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. As soon as their buds sprout, you know that summer is already near. In the same way, as soon as you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all this has happened: heav en and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Jesus’ use of trees as visual aids in driving home his message reminds me of a Spanish saying attributed to Cuban poet Jose Marti that recommends planting a tree (un arbol), siring a child (un hijo) and writing a book (un libro) to those who would like to live a complete life. While priests like me cannot sire a child, at least I can plant trees and write a book. I have planted trees but kept postponing the writing of a book until I have planted many trees. According to a research a ton of paper is equivalent to 17 trees.
How nice if authors are required to plant trees before publishing their work! The inconvenience, though, might leave the next generation with nothing but “e-books”.
Siring children would have been the most popular of the three had the world not taken a sharp turn snapping the link between the marital act and procreation. While people have not given up the sexual act, many have grown tired of siring children. This leaves tree planting as the most doable of the three suggestions. But technology has made us strangers to the soil.
While we are reluctant in planting trees we are quick to cut them at the slightest indication of deterioration. Many of our trees are old. But like old people they need nurturance. In some countries in Europe I have visited I saw old trees with rings of metals supporting them against strong winds. If there’s a will there’s a way. I commend the owners of a resort in Badian, Cebu for gifting honeymooners with a seedling and accommodating their seedling in the resort garden. Their names are etched on small slabs identifying the seedling they plant, making them so excited in coming back to the country to see how their seedling has grown.
The word ‘tree’ appears 50 times in its singular form while 11 times in its plural form in the New Testament. When Jesus invited people to observe changes in trees in order to anticipate the end of times, he was using trees as medium to drive home an important message. With the sad state of our trees today, the medium has become the message.- Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email:[email protected]. Website:www.frdan.org.
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