Do You Like Figs?

So figs are on my mind today. Hmm…could be the fig tartlet I had for dessert last night. Could be the fig salad I had for lunch. Could be the figs I’m munching on now.

Try this fig recipe as an hors d'œuvre tonight with a glass of bubbly; it’s guaranteed to provoke feelings of joyous living:

Slice ripened figs in half

Slice French baguette into ¾ inch slices, baste with basil infused olive oil, and bake until toasty. Lightly salt with Maldon sea salt.

Spread of layer of good Chevre (goat cheese) on the toasts once they’re cool

Place a layer of figs on top, with the skin-side down.

Bake the toasts until the fig is slightly mushy and the cheese is melted (usually 5 minutes at 400 degrees)

Remove from oven and sparingly sprinkle balsamic vinegar on top

Enjoy while warm!

Now, moving on to theology and figs, which, coincidentally go quite well together…did you know figs are mentioned more than thirty times in the Bible, sometimes in passing and sometimes as part of an extended metaphor. Who could forget the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree? Scary, huh?

And what about Adam and Eve’s use of the fig leaf to cover their “nakedness”?
Forget about them – what about our own fig leaves, our nakedness today? What’s your fig leaf, dear reader? Is it lust, greed, envy, or simply pride writ large? Perhaps yours is gluttony, or sloth, or, in case you can’t recall, there’s always St. Paul’s reminder from Romans:

They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

We all have these damned leaves, you know.

But what’s most important is to recognize them at work in our lives, and, upon so seeing, let Christ Himself begin to chisel them away, replacing our own pride with the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a great place to start.

So tonight when you make this recipe and sip your “fruit of the vine”, have a pen a paper handy and right down all the fig leaves surrounding you, choking you off from a richer life in the Spirit. Then, consider going to confession. Then, simply look to Jesus, the one True Vine in whom we find salvation and eternal rest.

Bon appétit!