FRUITFUL AND FAITHFUL

There is a Trappist Monastery in California that has hundreds of plum trees with only one older monk as the pruner of these trees.  He is an expert pruner, watching over the trees and deciding which need pruning to produce the best fruit.  A machine could not do what he does.  He loves the trees and knows them well.  Working among them, he often recalls today’s gospel when Jesus called himself the vine who prunes branches that are in the way.  As he prunes he often prays:   “Thank you Lord for pruning me.  You have pruned me, shaped me, and helped me become what I could never have become without you. I’m not perfect, and I know I need more pruning, but you are always there to make me more into your image.  You have done wonderful things for me and I’d be nowhere without that pruning.  Amen”

Jesus is the true vine, and his Father is the vine grower who insures a bountiful crop by pruning and trimming.  As Jesus’ disciples, we become his branches.  We depend on him for life, and share his mission of loving others as we have been loved.  This bearing of fruit---this life of love, is only possible when we remain firmly attached to him. Theologian Henri Nouwen suggested: “Jesus’ words about pruning may open a new perspective on growth and suffering and discipleship for us.  …Think about painful rejections, moments of loneliness, feelings of inner darkness and despair as God’s pruning.”  That is the essential process required in producing not only bountiful harvests, but also faithful disciples.

How do we live our lives firmly attached to the vine and allow Christ to live in us?  Jesus reminds us that life and growth are only possible when we allow his words and works to direct our lives.  Through our connection with him, we grow into true disciples.  As Father Bill Bausch puts it:  “We cannot chop up our lives into little compartments, separating beliefs from actions or churchgoing from church-living.” We are God’s children---his family responsible for one another.  Our daily challenge is to love, to rejoice, to abide and when necessary, to submit to the pruning that is inherent in discipleship.

The following story, centuries old, relates well to today’s gospel.  Pietri Bandinelli, an attractive man with clear eyes and a kind face, was chosen by Leonardo da Vinci as his model for Jesus in his painting, The Lord’s Supper.  Years later, Leonardo eager to finish, looked for a model for Judas, the last character to be placed in his famous painting.  Searching the slums of Milan, he found the perfect person.  His eyes were cloudy, and his face was harsh.  While the man was posing, Leonardo asked him, “Have we met before?”  The man said, “Yes, I was your Jesus model, but much has changed in my life since then.”  Cut off from the vine…..

Whenever we gather at the Table of the Lord, no matter how diverse, we celebrate as Jesus’ gathered community.  Regardless of our differences, we share a bond with Jesus that keeps us fruitful and faithful until the final harvest.  To recognize and embrace that bond means that the concerns of any of us become the concerns of all of us.  As theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer expressed it:  “Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ.  …We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ, and we have been chosen from eternity, accepted in time, and united for eternity.”  Pruned and trimmed, we grow into a community related in love, in support, and in service to one another. Yes, at times it is very painful, but always fruitful.

                                                                                                                      ----Deacon Wilson Shierk