Father Rick’s Two-Minute Reflection for Monday, 32nd  Week in Ordinary Time

November 10, 2025, Luke 17:1-6

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111025.cfm

If you have a mulberry tree in your soul,

ask Jesus to cast it into the sea.

There is no record of a mulberry tree being uprooted and planted in the sea when a Christian prayed. Never. Even Jesus never performed this miracle. St. Luke shares this example of true faith after Jesus’ teachings about forgiveness.

When someone hurts us deeply, it strikes at the very heart of who we are. Jesus teaches us that his power to forgive others runs even deeper. Unforgiveness is like our mulberry tree.

Deep in our souls, we may have resolved, “I will never forgive.” Jesus wants to heal this wound in our hearts because if it remains, our hurt stays the focus of everything we say and do. 

St. Luke’s Gospel message is straightforward. If you shut your heart to forgiveness, you miss Jesus’s central message. All that remains is the act of punishing your enemies. St. Gregory the Great said, “Unforgiveness is the darkest of all despair, for what hope remains for sinners who do not even show mercy, ‘for the sake of obtaining it themselves.’” 

Gospel Challenge:

If this mulberry tree is your nemesis, swallow your pride and go to confession. Only Jesus can cast unforgiveness into the sea of His mercy, where it can never grow again. Once our focus is on Jesus, forgiveness becomes something we desire to do.

Love Your Neighbor!

Fr. Rick Pilger, I.C. 
www.bscchurch.com