Fig Monday

The second day of Holy Week is sometimes known as 'Holy Monday,' but in the Middle Ages, it came to be known as 'Fig Monday,' because of its association with Christ's cursing of the fig tree. The Gospel of the day used to be the account in St Mark’s Gospel of Christ cursing the fig tree. Currently in the present Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite we are given the account in St John’s Gospel of St Mary Magdalene anointing the feet of Our Lord whilst at supper..

We are told he was hungry but when he came to the fig tree he saw that, although its leaves were green, there were no figs on it. Then he cursed it - it would never bear fruit again.

According to Mark's account, Jesus and the disciples are on their way to Jerusalem when Jesus curses a fig tree because it bears no fruit; in Jerusalem he drives the money-changers from the temple; and the next morning the disciples find that the fig tree has withered and died, with the implied message that the temple is cursed and will wither because, like the fig tree, it failed to produce the fruit of righteousness.

The meaning seems clear when we consider the Lord's parables. In particular we might remember that parable of the barren fig tree in Luke 13.

The point of the account is more about mankind than trees, or even foodstuffs. It is a condemnation on the outward show of the religion, which lacks the fruit of true religion, the true love of man for God.