The Holy Martyrs Trophimus, Theophilus and those with them (284-305); Miracle of the Pochaiv Icon of the Mother of God against the Invaders (1675)
Read
1 Corinthians 15:12-19; Matthew 21:18-22
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
There is a line in the critically acclaimed Martin Scorsese movie “The Departed” asked by Mark Wahlberg’s character to Leonardo DiCaprio’s character: “Do you want to be a cop or do you want to appear like a cop?” This question can have many variations, including one relevant to us and our faith: “Do you want to be a Catholic or do you want to appear Catholic?” Many may not understand the difference between these two propositions but there is a significant distinction, one that we are all prone to miss.
The fig tree cursed by Jesus simply bore the appearance of a fig tree without actually bearing fruit. It is easy to appear Catholic by going through the motions during Liturgy or rambling off our daily prayers without any change in the way we act, speak, or think. To be Catholic, our exterior appearance needs to be an extension of our interior disposition. There needs to be an actual interior change, one that desires and works towards bearing fruit in our own relationship with Christ but also in leading others to Christ.