Father in Heaven we praise and glorify you. We thank you for bringing us together for this Children's Liturgy lesson. Please send us the Holy Spirit and fill our hearts with peace, love and wisdom. Help us to understand the lesson you have for us today. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
In today's Gospel we learn about God's patience and mercy for those who repent. Those that do not turn from their erronous ways will be cut down, but those who repent and bear fruit, will live.
Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. Jesus said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”
And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig treebut have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil? ’He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’”
Source: Catholic Kids Media. (2024). The Burning Bush and the Figless Tree https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3AUVuvhZUY
What parable did Jesus tell in this passage?
Answer: Jesus told the parable of the barren fig tree.
In the parable, what did the owner of the vineyard want to do with the fig tree, and why?
Answer: The owner of the vineyard wanted to cut down the fig tree because it had not produced fruit for three years.
What did the gardener suggest instead of cutting down the fig tree?
Answer: The gardener suggested leaving the fig tree for one more year, during which he would dig around it and fertilize it to see if it would bear fruit.
What lesson can we learn from the parable of the barren fig tree?
Answer: The lesson is that God is patient and gives us opportunities to repent and bear fruit, but there is also an expectation for us to respond and produce good works.
Dear Jesus,
We ask for Your forgiveness for the times we have strayed from Your path. Help us to recognize the opportunities You give us to be kind to others and bear good fruit in our lives. Just as the gardener cared for the fig tree, we pray that You nurture our hearts and guide us to grow like a tree of love.
Teach us to be patient and compassionate with others, just as You are with us. May we always seek to share Your love with those around us. Amen.
Source: Microsoft 365 Copilot. (2025). Barren fig tree and fruitful fig tree [Large language model]. Microsoft.
