The gospel today is talking about vineyards. Vineyards are like a garden – sort of. Unlike a garden where you can grow all kinds of flowers and vegetables, vineyards grow one thing: grapes – and usually for making wine. I don’t have a “green thumb” but I can successfully plant and harvest a vegetable garden.

But vineyards are a whole other thing. There is a complex dance between the vine, the branches and the vine grower. For example, did you know that a single grape vine can produce as much as 13 feet of new branch growth in one growing season. What happens if all that new growth remains un-pruned? It would not be unusual for that un-pruned vine to have as many as 300 fruit producing buds. While that might sound great, that’s way too many buds for the plant to support. You might have lots of produce, but it will be incredibly low quality, and good for nothing. It would probably just end up as fuel for the fire. You would have to remove as much as 75% of the buds and the associated vegetative growth so the plant can properly develop and ripen the fruit it produces. The goal is always good fruit.

And that is why the gospel says:

• God the Father is the gardener
• Jesus is the vine
• We are the branches that Jesus will trim so that we don’t produce as many grapes as we can, but just the right amount so that what we produce is the best fruit
• But have to remain connected, rooted to the vine that is Jesus.

I am rooted in Jesus Christ. He is the vine that nourishes me with prayer and the Eucharist. Jesus prunes away the not good fruit in the Sacrament of Confession so that good fruit can grow. In our life it is important that we consciously belong to Jesus: “Remain in me, as I remain in you.” This is more than good advice or an invitation. This is a promise, that no matter what, Jesus will hold onto us as surely as the vine holds on to the branches.

Jesus could have remained in heaven, removed from the messiness of life, but He planted himself as the true vine right in the middle of our days and nights, our joys and sorrow – so that we would know of God’s unending promise to us, that He will always be there for us – to love us, to nourish us, to prune and shape us …. If we are willing and want to be people who bear good fruit in life. What does good fruit look like: Kindness, Patience, Forgiving one another, speaking the good words that other need to hear and above all, love.

These are the fruits of staying joined to Jesus. May you bear much good fruit. Amen

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