“Every branch that bears no fruit he cuts away, and any branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more.”

For those of us who are serious gardeners, this pruning process is an all-too-familiar regular task. I have several old rose bushes in my backyard that need yearly attention. Some of the old branches have died and need to be cut from the bush. Others are showing signs of birthing new branches. These need to be trimmed to give more nourishment to other vines. A similar process is involved in tomato plants as suckers appear. They will not produce fruit but will draw nourishment from the vibrant fruit-producing branches.

So, what does this have to do with our spiritual lives? We are people who live with virtues and vices. Vices are attitudes and actions that draw us away from the love of God and our neighbors. Could they be pride, resentment, anger, greed, prejudice, hate, self-absorption, or unhealthy addictions? In an honest self-reflection, with the help of God’s grace, we know that these attitudes and behaviors keep us from becoming the person that God calls us to be.

The virtues of love, compassion, honesty, generosity, and openness to others are the fruit of prayer, contemplation, and a vibrant celebration of the Eucharist in the community of faith.

We don’t need garden clippers and pruning hooks to rid ourselves of the branches that bear no fruit. Prayer, fasting, honest self-reflection, and the grace of God are all the tools we need.

Let Us Pray:

God of us all, you see what is in our hearts. You call us to work with your grace to prune out what keeps us from fully loving you and all your people. Fill us with an abundance of your grace to become the people you created us to be. Amen.