9 March 2017 - life on the vine

Today's Readings (Audio)

Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. Without him we can do nothing. With him all things are possible. The call is simple enough.

Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 
with all your soul, 
with all your mind, 
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Yet within this simplicity we discover how complicated our own issues really are. We see just how strongly we are predisposed toward sin. We experience the frustration of not being able to manage our love priorities. We love ourselves, our comfort and entertainment, our power and pleasure, and myriad other things first. We love others second. And God, well, hopefully he factors in. But certainly what we're willing to do for him, the time we are willing to spend in his presence and pursuing his friendship, is trivial compared to what we do for every other area of life that is important to us. Knowing this places us close to the Kingdom of God. But there is only one way in.

I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.

Our roots must drink deeply from the vine of Jesus Christ, his Sacraments, his Spirit, and his Church. If we plant ourselves where these things feed us we find life. It isn't necessarily an obvious process. The process of pulling in moisture and minerals through our roots is almost transparent to us. Yet without it we wither. With it we blossom and thrive. We not only put forth fruit, but the fruit is made into a wine that can draw the whole world into the joy of the Kingdom of God.

If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
I would feed them with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them.