Homily
The image in last week’s Gospel of The Good Shepherd and this week’s Gospel of the vine and the vine dressers try to tell us how close God is to us and how important we are to God.
We hear today of the vine and the branches and when you look at this closely we can see it’s impossible to tell where ends and the branches begin – they are so closely connected, they become united. This is the closeness that Jesus desires to have with each and every one of us.
This is a radical message. Our world in many ways pushes for division – they are different to us, this is better than that. This approach to life – that can be seen and heard through all of our media and advertising leaves us feeling empty. We try to fill this emptiness as best we can – we buy more stuff, we watch more programmes, we eat more, drink more we live our lives chasing after dreams. Ultimately, this doesn’t fill the emptiness. It just leaves us feeling unsettled and anxious.
The radical message of the Gospel is one of communion – communion with God, others, the world around us and with ourselves. Holiness means to be whole – it means to work towards being a complete person – this completeness comes from a close relationship with God, through Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is what the Gospel means by ‘remain in my love’ – to stay, to rest, to be satisfied, to be fulfilled, to operate from a way of life filled with the knowledge that we are loved by God. From this place, we bear fruit – we do good in the world, we feel satisfied, complete – holy.
How do we do this in the world with so many distractions? Well, we have to make a choice to do it – it has to be our decision – we have to want to do it. We come close to Jesus through prayer – through the Sacraments – through turning to him when we are in need and when we are grateful. We remain in Jesus when we allow Jesus be the centre of our lives. This doesn’t in anyway take away from our lives – it enhances them, making us feel complete. Our souls will be restless until they rest in God.
Today’s Gospel is a challenging and inspiring one. It challenges us to take a look at our closeness to God – to so that we can criticise ourselves or others, but so we can honestly see how connected we are and see how we can connect a little more. Taking time in our day to stop for a moment – drip our finger in Holy water and slowly bless ourselves is a profound way to connect with the power of the Trinity with us and around us – When we do this – it means we do all things in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit – it reminds us that we are not alone.
It’s also a very inspiring Gospel because it tells us that when we connect with God – when we become as close as the vine and the branches – we will bear fruit – Bearing fruit means that we will live authentic and meaningful lives. It means we will flourish, and this will flow out into all aspects of our lives and the lives of those around us. To remain in Christ – to remain in God’s love means to live a life that is blessed. I think that’s something we all would want and want for our family and friends.
This week let us carry the meaning and message of the Gospel with us. Let us make a little extra space in our day to connect with the power and presence of God in and around us so that we do all things in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen.
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