With care my flowerets tend,
But keep the pathway open
Your home is at the end.
~Robert Frost, from God’s Garden
In today's Gospel Jesus uses the imagery of the vine and again today I am drawn to some poetry by the scripture verses. Jesus through the imagery of the pruning helps us to better understand more deeply how our relationship with God the Father goes through Him and with Him. The Gospel of John depicts Jesus as the vine and his Father is the gardener. From this brief Gospel verse we come to appreciate that everything about Jesus is intimately connected with the Father's will. The significance of God the Father as the gardener who prunes the vine and Jesus as the vine extends to include each one of us as branches of that vine. It is through baptism we are grafted onto the true vine who is Christ. We are shoots that draw life from him. Our spiritual growth is shaped and pruned by his word. Just as the bud on an apple tree can only develop into a red juicy apple if it remains attached to tree, we too can only blossom and truly reach our potential if we remain rooted in him as our source of life. Jesus urges us to remains with Him and then we will bear much fruit. He indicates that without Him we can do nothing. And we remain attached to Him in the sacraments, through our reading of scripture, by doing what is right, and through sharing Him with others. Parents play a crucial role in this process. It is because they choose to give us the gift of life and the gift of faith that God’s gift of love comes to bear fruit for us and through us. This holds particular meaning for me today as I celebrate my birthday. Thanks Mom for the gift of life and your gift of faith. They say one can tell if they truly love someone by the desire to spend time with them. Well, I truly miss our Sunday phone calls. Let us reach out and touch someone we love today and show them the pathway of faith. In the words of Robert Frost, let us “tend flowers that God has given and keep the pathway open that…” leads us all to heaven. Make a great day!
Today we recall the good life, gifts, and works of Pope Saint Gregory VII.
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