Sunday, May 10, 2009

Fifth Sunday of Easter, cycle B

JOHN 15:1-8
I'M SURE MOST OF YOU ADULTS HAVE BEEN TO A GATHERING WHERE WHITE ZINFANDEL WINE WAS SERVED. AND YOU MAY HAVE TASTED IT. A LITTLE LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN GRAPEFRUIT AND APPLE JUICE, ONLY NOT AS MUCH FLAVOR. THERE ARE VINEYARDS IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WHERE ZINFANDEL GRAPES ARE GROWN, AND THE VINES ARE TRULY PROLIFIC; THE VINE GROWERS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN SUBTLE FLAVORS, JUST VOLUME.
BUT IF YOU GO UP INTO THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS THAT SEPARATE CALIFORNIA FROM NEVADA ,YOU WILL FIND SMALL WINERIES WHICH PRODUCE EXQUISITE ZINFANDEL WINES. THEY ARE DEEP RED, FULL OF COMPLEX FLAVORS, AND A RIVAL TO ANYTHING PRODUCED BY FRANCE. THE GRAPES COME FROM VINES THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR 75 TO 150 YEARS. THEY ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE IMAGINE AS A GRAPE VINE. THE VINE PART IS LIKE A SMALL TREE TRUNK; THE BRANCHES COME OFF OF IT AND ARE TRAINED ALONG TRELLISES RATHER THAN FENCES. A SINGLE VINE CAN PRODUCE A LARGE AMOUNT OF GRAPE JUICE. WINE DEPENDS ON SOIL, THE CLIMATE, THE LENGTH OF THE GROWING SEASON, THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE – BUT IT ALSO DEPENDS ON THE VINE. SO IF YOU SEE AN “OLD VINE” ZINFANDEL WINE THE NEXT TIME YOU ARE SHOPPING, TRY IT AND SEE WHAT YOU THINK.
THE KIND OF VINE JESUS WAS THINKING ABOUT WAS LIKE ONE OF THESE “OLD VINES”. A TREE TRUNK REACHING DEEP INTO THE EARTH, SOLID, IMPOSSIBLE TO ROOT OUT. AND EVERY YEAR, EVERY GROWING SEASON, THE BRANCHES WOULD ERUPT FROM THE VINE AND BE TRAINED ALONG AN ARBOR. THE VINE DRESSER WOULD INSPECT THE VINE EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS, AND WHEN THE LITTLE FLOWERS BEGIN TO SPROUT, HE WOULD LOP OFF THE BRANCHES THAT DID NOT HAVE FLOWERS. THEIR LEAVES, SO PLUMB AND GREEN, WOULD ALMOST INSTANTLY WITHER. BUT THE BRANCHES HE CHOSE TO SAVE WOULD BE BOUND TO A FRAMEWORK. THEIR LEAVES AND SHOOTS WOULD BE TRIMMED, SO THAT AS MUCH OF THE ENERGY OF THE VINE AS POSSIBLE WOULD BE FORCED INTO THE DEVELOPING GRAPES. AND ONCE THE HARVEST CAME, ALL THE BRANCHES WOULD BE TRIMMED BACK TO WAIT FOR A NEW GROWING SEASON.
TODAY JESUS TALKS ABOUT HOW IF WE ARE NOT GRAFTED ONTO HIM, ALL OUR EFFORTS WILL COME TO NOTHING; WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BEAR FRUIT, FRUIT WHICH MATTERS. WHEN WE ARE BRANCHES OF AN “OLD VINE”, WHATEVER FRUIT WE BEAR WILL LARGELY BE BECAUSE OF THE VINE; ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS REMAIN ATTACHED.
SO HOW DO WE DO THIS? HOW DO WE REMAIN IN JESUS, AND JESUS IN US, SO THAT WE CAN BEAR MUCH FRUIT? JESUS TWICE REMARKS THAT IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH HIS WORDS. HE SAYS THAT HIS DISCIPLES HAVE ALREADY BEEN PRUNED, BECAUSE OF THE WORD HE SPOKE TO THEM; AND HE SAYS “IF YOU REMAIN IN ME AND MY WORDS REMAIN IN YOU, ASK WHATEVER YOU WANT AND IT WILL BE DONE TO YOU.” JESUS' WORDS TO US IN THE GOSPELS ARE PRETTY CLEAR. THEY COVER THREE GENERAL TOPICS. THE FIRST IS PRAYER. HE TEACHES US TO PRAY WHEN HE TEACHES THE OUR FATHER. HE TELLS US TO PRAY ALWAYS. HE TELLS US THAT WHEN WE PRAY, WE SHOULD GO TO OUR ROOM, CLOSE THE DOOR, AND PRAY TO THE FATHER, WHO IS UNSEEN. YES, JESUS THOUGHT PRAYER WAS VERY IMPORTANT. PRAYER IS DIALOGUE WITH GOD, AND IT LITERALLY CAN GO ON ALL DAY LONG.
JESUS ALSO TALKED A LOT ABOUT FASTING. HE BEGAN HIS MINISTRY BY HIS 40 DAY FAST IN THE DESERT. FASTING IS NOT ONLY ABSTAINING FROM FOOD; IT IS DISCIPLINE. IF YOU DO ANYTHING TO SUBDUE YOUR BODY, TO CONQUER YOUR BAD HABITS, TO BUILD UP YOUR INNER STRENGTH, THAT'S FASTING. THE PURPOSE OF FASTING IS TO FREE YOURSELF FROM ALL THOSE THINGS, OFTEN VERY GOOD, WHICH HOLD YOU BACK FROM THE SUPREME GOOD, WHICH IS GOD. WHAT HOLDS YOU BACK FROM GOD?
FINALLY, JESUS TALKS ABOUT ALMSGIVING. MAYBE NOT IN SO MANY WORDS. BUT HE DOES TELL US THAT WHATEVER WE DO FOR THE LEAST OF OUR BROTHERS, THAT WE DO FOR HIM. HE COMMENDS THE WIDOW WHO DROPS HER SMALL COIN INTO THE TEMPLE TREASURY. HE CONDEMNS THE RICH MAN WHO DOESN'T NOTICE THE POOR BEGGAR LAZARUS ON HIS OWN DOORSTEP. ALMSGIVING MEANS THAT WE TAKE CARE OF THE NEEDS OF EACH OTHER. WHEN WE SEE SOMEONE IN NEED, WE SHOULD FEEL AN OBLIGATION TO MEET THAT NEED, AND DO WHAT WE CAN FOR THAT PURPOSE.
PRAYER – WHAT WE OWE TO GOD; FASTING – WHAT WE MUST DO TO OURSELVES; ALMSGIVING-- OUR OBLIGATION TO OUR NEIGHBOR. THESE ARE THE THREE PILLARS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. THESE ARE THE WORDS THAT JESUS SPEAKS TO US, THE WORDS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO LIVE IN US, THE WORDS THAT CONNECT US TO THE VINE.
WE HAVE CONTROL OVER WHETHER WE PRAY, WHETHER WE FAST, WHETHER WE GIVE ALMS. WE CAN DO A LITTLE OR A LOT. BUT IT IS WITHIN OUR GRASP. AND THE REST IS UP TO JESUS, THE VINE. MAYBE WE WON'T BE ANOTHER MOTHER THERESA, OR FRANCIS OF ASSISI. YES, THEY BORE MUCH FRUIT, THEY SEEMED TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE. BUT WHAT THEY DID WAS WHAT YOU AND I CAN DO; THEY PRAYED, THEY FASTED, AND THEY GAVE ALMS. AND THEY DIDN'T WORRY ABOUT THE FRUIT. THAT WAS ENTIRELY UP TO GOD.
MAYBE WE WON'T BE ANOTHER MOTHER THERESA OR FRANCIS OF ASSISI; BUT MAYBE WE WILL BE ANOTHER MARY OR ANOTHER JOSEPH. THEY PRAYED, THEY FASTED, AND THEY GAVE ALMS. AND THE ONLY FRUIT THEY BORE WAS TO BRING JESUS INTO THE WORLD, TO SHAPE HIM, TO CARE FOR HIM, AND TO BUILD IN HIM HIS HUMAN CHARACTER. AND ALL OF US CAN BRING JESUS INTO THE WORLD, AND THAT IS AFTER ALL, THE ONE DEEP, TRUE DESIRE OF THE FATHER.
THE OLD VINE IS ROOTED DEEP IN THE EARTH. WE ARE BRANCHES, WE COME AND GO, OUR TIME FOR BEARING FRUIT IS BRIEF, AND THE FRUIT WE BEAR WILL DEPEND ON THE FATHER'S INTENTION, HIS WORK IN US. OUR ONLY DUTY IS TO DEEPEN OUR CONNECTION TO THE VINE, TO ALLOW THE LIFE-BLOOD OF THE VINE TO FLOW FREELY THROUGH US. AND IF WE REMAIN IN HIM AND HE REMAINS IN US, WE CAN DO ANYTHING.
SO TODAY EXAMINE YOURSELF. DO YOU PRAY? DO YOU PRAY ALWAYS? IS YOUR PRAYER LIFE STRONGER NOW THAN A YEAR AGO? DO YOU FAST? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU SHOULD DO TO SMOOTH OFF THE ROUGH EDGES? ARE THERE HABITS YOU WORK TO BREAK, OR HABITS YOU WORK TO ACQUIRE? ARE YOU TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR SHAPING YOUR CHARACTER TO BE A BETTER INSTRUMENT OF GOD? AND DO YOU GIVE ALMS? ARE YOU SOMEONE WHO CANNOT ALLOW A FELLOW HUMAN BEING TO BE IN NEED, IF YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?
TODAY IS MOTHER'S DAY. CERTAINLY A GOOD MOTHER SHOWS IN HER OWN LIFE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE GRAFTED ONTO CHRIST, AND TO BEAR MUCH FRUIT. SO FROM ALL OF US, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.