I started to write a nice little reflection piece around the gospel reading for this week where Jesus talks about how important the main vine is to the branches that grow from it and to the fruit it bears. Then, I caught myself and thought, “What am I doing? This is finals week. The semester is ending. Graduation is this weekend! No one on campus wants to reflect on vines and branches and fruit!”
Yet, there might something to looking at our lives right now through the image of a vine and its branches. In a vineyard, vines are the more permanent part of the plants. From the vine, the branches grow. There are a mix of variables that impact how the fruit grows and what the harvest is like each season. It begins with the type of vine, how healthy or stressed it may be, and whether the soil and climate are good ones for it. The amount of rain and sun, temperatures through the season, and pests all make a difference in the harvest. Careful pruning and tending by the vinegrower between seasons and through the growing time are important, too.
I don’t think there is just one way to see a year in college or a whole college career in terms of this vineyard image. Yet, no matter how we might match the details of a vineyard to the details of our lives, Jesus is the vine that is our source, nourishment and guidance. From God comes our growth and each season’s harvest.
May God’s constant, sustaining presence in your life help you to abundant growth and a rich harvest of love, care, compassion, forgiveness, generosity, and inclusion that flows to the world through you from God.
Peace, my friends.