The Memorial of Saint Paul VI
But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and sober in prayer. And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms. If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Beloved, don't be astonished at the fiery trial which has come upon you to test you, as though a strange thing happened to you. But because you are partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice, that at the revelation of his glory you also may rejoice with exceeding joy.
Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns." The world is also established. It can't be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice. Let the sea roar, and its fullness! Let the field and all that is in it exult! Then all the trees of the woods shall sing for joy
Before the Lord; for he comes, For he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, The peoples with his truth.
Jesus entered into the temple in Jerusalem. When he had looked around at everything, it being now evening, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
The next day, when they had come out from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. Jesus told it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" and his disciples heard it.
They came to Jerusalem, and Jesus entered into the temple and began to throw out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers' tables and the seats of those who sold the doves. He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple. He taught, saying to them, "Isn't it written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers!"
The chief priests and the scribes heard it, and sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching.
When evening came, he went out of the city. As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots. Peter, remembering, said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away."
Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and doesn't doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening, he shall have whatever he says. Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions."
Pope Paul VI guided the Church through the transformative Second Vatican Council and its aftermath, helping us understand how ancient faith speaks to modern life. His feast reminds us that renewal often requires both courage and patience.
The tension in Mark's Gospel feels almost jarring—Jesus cursing a fig tree for not bearing fruit out of season, then cleansing the temple with righteous anger. What emerges from these seemingly harsh actions is actually a profound lesson about authenticity and purpose. The fig tree, lush with leaves but barren of fruit, becomes a symbol of religious life that looks impressive from the outside but lacks substance. The temple merchants had similarly transformed a house of prayer into something else entirely—a marketplace that excluded rather than welcomed.
Notice how Peter's first reading connects beautifully here. When he writes about employing our gifts "as good managers of the grace of God," he's pointing toward the same authenticity Jesus demands. The call is to let our external lives match our internal faith—to be fig trees that actually bear fruit, temples that truly welcome prayer.
This isn't about perfection; it's about alignment. Consider how often we present ourselves as spiritually flourishing while our hearts remain disconnected from genuine love and service. The movement here is from performance to authenticity, from religious theater to lived faith.
What becomes clear is that God desires our wholeness more than our perfection. When Jesus speaks about faith moving mountains, he's not promoting magical thinking but inviting us into a trust so deep it transforms how we engage with seemingly impossible situations—difficult relationships, entrenched injustices, our own stubborn hearts.
The practical wisdom emerges in Peter's words: be hospitable without grumbling, love earnestly, serve with the strength God supplies.
Where in your life might there be beautiful leaves but missing fruit? What would it mean to let your faith become more authentic today, even in small ways?