May 1, 2024 - Wed. of 5th Week of Easter (Opt. Mem. of St. Joseph the Worker)
May you bear the fruit that GOD wishes you to bear!
Growth is something that we are called to experience. We are to grow and be fruitful. That does not just mean that we are to populate the world, but that we are also to bear the GOoD fruit which GOD wishes us to bear. We can only do that if we are attached to the source of life-giving nourishment, as branches are attached to the Vine and receive life through the Vine.
On this day we honor St. Joseph the Worker, I pray for all workers and all who call upon the patronage of St. Joseph the Worker, especially those with the names of Joseph, Joe, Joey, Jose, Josephine, Josie, etc. I recall a particular Joseph who was a very dedicated and caring worker, my father, Joseph A. Kondrath
May you bear the fruit that GOD wishes you to bear!
Growth is something that we are called to experience. We are to grow and be fruitful. That does not just mean that we are to populate the world, but that we are also to bear the GOoD fruit which GOD wishes us to bear. We can only do that if we are attached to the source of life-giving nourishment, as branches are attached to the Vine and receive life through the Vine.
On this day we honor St. Joseph the Worker, I pray for all workers and all who call upon the patronage of St. Joseph the Worker, especially those with the names of Joseph, Joe, Joey, Jose, Josephine, Josie, etc. I recall a particular Joseph who was a very dedicated and caring worker, my father, Joseph A. Kondrath
Readings can be obtained from: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/050124.cfm
Saint Joseph the Worker: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-joseph-the-worker/
Readings: Acts 15: 1-6; Psalm 122: 1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5; John 15: 1-8
GOD gives growth to those who seek atonement (to be "at-one-ment") with the Lord Jesus. [I like this definition of “atonement” better than the idea that we have to make up for our sinfulness. We are called to be “At One” with our Triune GOD. We can never “make up” for our sinfulness, but we can seek At-One-ment with GOD.] This “At- One-ment” may involve letting go of the old, and then being attached more fully to what is life-giving. The First Reading presents the struggle of the early Church in trying to incorporate Gentiles into the Way (the name given to the early Church). The struggle involves whether the non-Jewish believers have to fully accept all of the old practices of Judaism or whether they can be just grafted onto that which (Who) gives life and thus produce a fruitful product of, and for, GOD. The Gospel uses the imagery of a vine dresser pruning the branches so that more abundant fruit can be produced.
In the passage from the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul and St. Barnabas meet opposition when they return from their first missionary journey. Some of the members of the church in Antioch (the community that had sent Paul and Barnabas on their journey) push for the full practice of Judaism by the Gentiles who have become believers in Jesus. As the dispute arises, the faith
community of Antioch sends Paul and Barnabas and others to the Christian leaders in Jerusalem. It is exciting to hear, as Paul and Barnabas travel through Phoenicia and Samaria and they share how the Gentiles have accept the GOoD News, the believers in those areas rejoice in the GOoD fruit that is being produced among the Gentiles. The dispute, that concerns whether the Gentiles need to fully practice Judaism, continues in Jerusalem as we will hear in the days to come.
Psalm 122 is a hymn sung by people on their way to Jerusalem, the center of Judaism and birthplace of Christianity. To go to Jerusalem was a special event for people of faith. (It continues to be today, even if it is a little more dangerous, with conflict between Israel and some of its neighbors.) It was also the seat of judgment for Jews and for the early Christian believers. It was the place to go in order to ask GOD to reveal the divine will for believers.
Jesus, in the fifteenth chapter of St. John’s Gospel, speaks about His being the true Vine Who gives life to the branches. Jesus’ Abba-Father is the Vine Dresser Who prunes the productive branches and removes the lifeless branches.
After hearing Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM a few years ago, my reflection today comes from a sense of our being made in the image and likeness of the creative GOD. We know that from the Beginning (Genesis), GOD is creative – producing life. GOD spends “divine time” making light, the world, and living creatures. In John 15, Jesus portrays His Abba-Father as the Divine Vine Dresser. The job of the vine dresser is to prune productive branches so they will bear more fruit and to cut away that which will not produce any fruit, but which will rob the fruitful parts of branches from the much-needed nutrients. After the vine dresser has completed this work, the growth and production of fruit depends upon the branches staying in contact with the vine. This pruning of the branches is not meant to be restrictive or punitive, but to be life-giving.
I have fond memories of traveling to my father’s house in late winter/early spring to help him prune his grape vines. His having grown up as a farmer was evident as he taught myself and my other family members the importance of pruning. We would assist him as he cut away that which he knew would not produce any growth. He would also cut some of the growth that was healthy, but that needed pruning. Then we would gather up the cut pieces and burn them. I also remember helping to graft some new shoots onto the healthy vine, so that they could become a part of the growing vine. Those experiences in the late winter/early spring of the year helped me focus on today’s readings. The readings also give me a connection to the past and my time with my father (Joseph) who is now enjoying the fruits of the heavenly Vine.
We are the branches. We are called to bear fruit. We cannot bear much fruit unless we are pruned in order to bear a fuller growth and produce abundant fruit. We need some of our old self cut away and renewed so we can receive more nourishment from the Vine and produce the richest harvest possible.
We also should rejoice as other branches are grafted on to the Vine and begin to receive nourishment from the True Vine and produce GOoD fruit. For me in my work in the OCIA, it is truly a joy to see other branches being grafted on to the Vine as people come to know the Lord Jesus and accept what He offers to them. These new branches begin to receive the flow of life from the bonding with Jesus, the Vine.
Once we receive the flow of life from the Vine (Jesus), what kind of fruit will we bear? We must do our best; we must work to our fullest potential. If we do that, others
will benefit from our fruit. They will be blessed by the fruit of the Vine. It is interesting when we speak about the product that comes from the growth, we speak about the “fruit of the Vine,” not the “fruit of the branches.” The fruit we bear is truly the work of the Vine and the Vine Dresser, not the product of the branches – us. We, the branches, must be the best vehicles for the life of the Vine to flow through us to produce the fruit. Yet the real source of growth comes from the Vine and the work of the Vine Dresser.
As I think about this, I see a connection to what happened in our world because of the pandemic of the last few of years. The crisis should have caused us to ponder which aspects of our lives are really not bearing GOoD growth. I am not saying that those who were inflicted by the COVID-19 virus (and any of its strains) are evil, or unfruitful. I am saying what attitudes and actions in my personal life need to be pruned out, so that I can bear more fruit. All of us have activities and attitudes in our lives that do not promote positive growth. Those
need to be removed so we can be more fruitful in our living out the GOoD News of Jesus.
Blessed are You, LORD GOD, Creator and Giver of life. Through Your GOoDness, You are the Vine Dresser Who prunes the branches so that the branches become the means through which the Vine gives life to the fruit. We thank You for choosing us and pruning us, so we can see a richer harvest of the fruit of the Vine. We thank You also for those who have gone before us to work in Your vineyard. Many have worked with You, the Vine Dresser, to prepare the ground, water, and tend the branches. Yet, it is Your Son as the Vine which/Who makes all growth possible. May we stay always united with the Vine and receive the nutrients we need to produce the richest fruit. May the fruit of the Vine go forward to make the wine which enriches and brings joy to others. As always, we make this prayer in the name of Jesus, the Vine, Who is our Master and Lord and Who is living and reigning with You and the Holy Spirit, our one and only GOD, for ever and ever. Amen. Alleluia!
Song of the Day: I Am the Vine by John Michael Talbot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHr7Z7ZS3GE
Abide in the Vine by Steven Childs Pennamen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0uGEQ5dNB4
Video of the Day: Why is May 1 the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker?:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--N7zvGB73E
© rjk, 12-03-22
Saint Joseph the Worker: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-joseph-the-worker/
Readings: Acts 15: 1-6; Psalm 122: 1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5; John 15: 1-8
GOD gives growth to those who seek atonement (to be "at-one-ment") with the Lord Jesus. [I like this definition of “atonement” better than the idea that we have to make up for our sinfulness. We are called to be “At One” with our Triune GOD. We can never “make up” for our sinfulness, but we can seek At-One-ment with GOD.] This “At- One-ment” may involve letting go of the old, and then being attached more fully to what is life-giving. The First Reading presents the struggle of the early Church in trying to incorporate Gentiles into the Way (the name given to the early Church). The struggle involves whether the non-Jewish believers have to fully accept all of the old practices of Judaism or whether they can be just grafted onto that which (Who) gives life and thus produce a fruitful product of, and for, GOD. The Gospel uses the imagery of a vine dresser pruning the branches so that more abundant fruit can be produced.
In the passage from the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul and St. Barnabas meet opposition when they return from their first missionary journey. Some of the members of the church in Antioch (the community that had sent Paul and Barnabas on their journey) push for the full practice of Judaism by the Gentiles who have become believers in Jesus. As the dispute arises, the faith
community of Antioch sends Paul and Barnabas and others to the Christian leaders in Jerusalem. It is exciting to hear, as Paul and Barnabas travel through Phoenicia and Samaria and they share how the Gentiles have accept the GOoD News, the believers in those areas rejoice in the GOoD fruit that is being produced among the Gentiles. The dispute, that concerns whether the Gentiles need to fully practice Judaism, continues in Jerusalem as we will hear in the days to come.
Psalm 122 is a hymn sung by people on their way to Jerusalem, the center of Judaism and birthplace of Christianity. To go to Jerusalem was a special event for people of faith. (It continues to be today, even if it is a little more dangerous, with conflict between Israel and some of its neighbors.) It was also the seat of judgment for Jews and for the early Christian believers. It was the place to go in order to ask GOD to reveal the divine will for believers.
Jesus, in the fifteenth chapter of St. John’s Gospel, speaks about His being the true Vine Who gives life to the branches. Jesus’ Abba-Father is the Vine Dresser Who prunes the productive branches and removes the lifeless branches.
After hearing Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM a few years ago, my reflection today comes from a sense of our being made in the image and likeness of the creative GOD. We know that from the Beginning (Genesis), GOD is creative – producing life. GOD spends “divine time” making light, the world, and living creatures. In John 15, Jesus portrays His Abba-Father as the Divine Vine Dresser. The job of the vine dresser is to prune productive branches so they will bear more fruit and to cut away that which will not produce any fruit, but which will rob the fruitful parts of branches from the much-needed nutrients. After the vine dresser has completed this work, the growth and production of fruit depends upon the branches staying in contact with the vine. This pruning of the branches is not meant to be restrictive or punitive, but to be life-giving.
I have fond memories of traveling to my father’s house in late winter/early spring to help him prune his grape vines. His having grown up as a farmer was evident as he taught myself and my other family members the importance of pruning. We would assist him as he cut away that which he knew would not produce any growth. He would also cut some of the growth that was healthy, but that needed pruning. Then we would gather up the cut pieces and burn them. I also remember helping to graft some new shoots onto the healthy vine, so that they could become a part of the growing vine. Those experiences in the late winter/early spring of the year helped me focus on today’s readings. The readings also give me a connection to the past and my time with my father (Joseph) who is now enjoying the fruits of the heavenly Vine.
We are the branches. We are called to bear fruit. We cannot bear much fruit unless we are pruned in order to bear a fuller growth and produce abundant fruit. We need some of our old self cut away and renewed so we can receive more nourishment from the Vine and produce the richest harvest possible.
We also should rejoice as other branches are grafted on to the Vine and begin to receive nourishment from the True Vine and produce GOoD fruit. For me in my work in the OCIA, it is truly a joy to see other branches being grafted on to the Vine as people come to know the Lord Jesus and accept what He offers to them. These new branches begin to receive the flow of life from the bonding with Jesus, the Vine.
Once we receive the flow of life from the Vine (Jesus), what kind of fruit will we bear? We must do our best; we must work to our fullest potential. If we do that, others
will benefit from our fruit. They will be blessed by the fruit of the Vine. It is interesting when we speak about the product that comes from the growth, we speak about the “fruit of the Vine,” not the “fruit of the branches.” The fruit we bear is truly the work of the Vine and the Vine Dresser, not the product of the branches – us. We, the branches, must be the best vehicles for the life of the Vine to flow through us to produce the fruit. Yet the real source of growth comes from the Vine and the work of the Vine Dresser.
As I think about this, I see a connection to what happened in our world because of the pandemic of the last few of years. The crisis should have caused us to ponder which aspects of our lives are really not bearing GOoD growth. I am not saying that those who were inflicted by the COVID-19 virus (and any of its strains) are evil, or unfruitful. I am saying what attitudes and actions in my personal life need to be pruned out, so that I can bear more fruit. All of us have activities and attitudes in our lives that do not promote positive growth. Those
need to be removed so we can be more fruitful in our living out the GOoD News of Jesus.
- The personal question/action for today: What in my life needs to be pruned away so that I can bear more fruit? What is the fruit which I produce and who is the primary beneficiary of my bearing fruit? How can I give better acknowledgment to the Vine (Jesus) as the source of my life-giving nourishment and to the Vine dresser (the Abba-Father)?
Blessed are You, LORD GOD, Creator and Giver of life. Through Your GOoDness, You are the Vine Dresser Who prunes the branches so that the branches become the means through which the Vine gives life to the fruit. We thank You for choosing us and pruning us, so we can see a richer harvest of the fruit of the Vine. We thank You also for those who have gone before us to work in Your vineyard. Many have worked with You, the Vine Dresser, to prepare the ground, water, and tend the branches. Yet, it is Your Son as the Vine which/Who makes all growth possible. May we stay always united with the Vine and receive the nutrients we need to produce the richest fruit. May the fruit of the Vine go forward to make the wine which enriches and brings joy to others. As always, we make this prayer in the name of Jesus, the Vine, Who is our Master and Lord and Who is living and reigning with You and the Holy Spirit, our one and only GOD, for ever and ever. Amen. Alleluia!
Song of the Day: I Am the Vine by John Michael Talbot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHr7Z7ZS3GE
Abide in the Vine by Steven Childs Pennamen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0uGEQ5dNB4
Video of the Day: Why is May 1 the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker?:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--N7zvGB73E
© rjk, 12-03-22