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Living
and Pruning
May 18, 2003 Homily
Fr. George Smiga
John
15:1-8
Today's
gospel is not about plants; it's about people. It is not about
vines; it's about life. The image of the vine and the branches
which Jesus uses in this gospel is a way of saying that we
as branches will share in Christ's very life, the life of
the vine. If we abide in him, we will have life to the fullest.
Now this is a very positive and exciting image, and yet there
is one line in today's gospel that can stop us short and perhaps
even frighten us. The line is this: "The branches that
bear fruit my father will prune so that they bear more fruit."
That line tells us that we who are disciples of Christ must
expect to be pruned by God, that something which belongs to
us might indeed be cut off or taken away. This can frighten
us, because as much as we want life, as much as we desire
to abide in Christ, we do not want to lose anything that belongs
to us. We do not want something which is ours to be cut off.
Yet, it is central to the teaching of Jesus that this kind
of pruning is at times necessary.
This is
one of the earliest lessons that I learned in ministry. One
day while I was a deacon in Akron, a man came in to talk to
me in great distress. He said, "My wife is divorcing
me." I expressed my regrets and then asked him, "Did
you see this coming?" "Oh yes," he said, "We've
been living in a loveless marriage for at least ten years.
We argue all the time and hardly ever talk about anything
of substance. And I can't remember the last time that we made
love. A while back I wanted to go to a counselor but my wife
refused; and in time, I too lost the will even to try."
"Why did you stay together?" I asked. "It was
for the kids, of course. We wanted to keep our family together.
But now they are off to college, and my wife says that there
is not anything left in our relationship." "Do you
disagree with her?" I asked. "Not really,"
he responded. "But" -and here is the line that
I will always remember-"All my life," he said, "
I dreamed of a perfect marriage. I dreamed of someone who
would share their life with me for as long as I lived. I wanted
a relationship around which we could build a family. It is
so difficult to let that dream die."
This man's
words rang true the first time that I heard them and they
still ring true today. We hope for the best in our lives.
We make big plans. But when those plans fail and there is
nothing that we can do to prevent it, it is still difficult
to let those dreams die. This man had been living without
love for over a decade. He argued constantly. His wife left
him and now divorced him. His marriage was over. And yet it
was still difficult for him to let go of the dream of the
good marriage he desired. Yet if his life was going to continue,
if his life was to have a future, he would need to face the
truth and let God prune that dream away.
This is
one of many examples which tell us that at times we need to
face the hard truth and let something in our life end. As
difficult as it might be, at times we need to face what is
real and move forward. Are there areas in your life that are
dead and need to be removed? Do you find yourself in a manipulative
or abusive relationship, and yet want to hold onto the dream
that this relationship is good and gives you joy? Do you find
yourself addicted to alcohol, or drugs, or pornography, and
yet say to yourself, "My life is healthy, there is nothing
that needs to change"? Do you find yourself in a dead-end
job or circumstance, and yet continue to hold onto the belief
that your life is just as it should be? Do you find yourself
surrounded with self-pity over someone or something that you
have lost, and refuse to let go of the dream that you want
things to be as they once were-that you don't want things
to change?
Dreams
not only inspire us, they can at times hurt us. Dead branches
in our life not only hinder us, they can at times kill us.
That is why, when there is nothing else we can do, we need
to let go and let God remove what is dead from our lives.
To do anything less would be living a lie.
But the
good news is this. Letting go, as difficult as it is, is not
meant to cause pain, but to foster life. Cutting off what
is dead is not cruelty, but an act of a loving God who removes
barren branches so that other parts of our life can thrive.
Jesus promises us life and joy in its fullness, and he is
serious about what he says. We must believe him. If we want
joy, we need to trust him. If we want life, we need to let
him take what is dead in our lives and prune it away.
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