Today the prophet Hosea assures us that if we return to God, we will have splendor like the olive tree. https://bible.usccb.org/readings/calendar. To be like an olive is something indeed. Olives were essential to life. The fruit was eaten, the oil was used in lamps, cooking, hygiene, and worship, to name a few. Almost no tree was as important to daily life as the Olive Tree. Life as they knew it just couldn’t happen. The olive tree is mentioned as a blessing several times in the Psalms, too. That we would be like olive trees means that we must be essential to daily life. Every gift comes with a purpose. So just how are we to be essential to daily life? Look into your hearts. What special blessing do you have that you must share to ease and make fruitful the lives of those around you. Can you write letters to shut-ins? Can you bring a covered dish to a sick or lonely neighbor? Can you volunteer to teach or tutor? How about offering a few hours of respite for someone caring for a loved one? Bring your gifts to the world. Be an Olive Tree! Image from Amazon.com
