A few months ago my wife started growing some tomatoes in a planter. The plants grew up quite big. But in spite of their massive growth, they have not managed to produce any fruit. It is now late in the season, and the plants are still growing and chewing up space. Although we've had success with other vegetables, the tomatoes are disappointing.
We're not sure what happened. Why they failed to produce any tomatoes. We're simply left to ponder -- "why"... Perhaps in the same spirit that Our Lady was left to ponder -- with the many unusual and (at times) unpleasant experiences that befell her and her family.
And perhaps there is a need for patience. I'm reminded of the words from the gospel -- "The gardener said, 'let's give it another year. I'll dig around it and fertilize it, and maybe it will produce fruit next year; if it doesn't, then chop it down." (Luke 13: 8,9)
