I took this picture just a few days ago. I remembered that not long ago I saw that this tree had been pruned and looked stunted. Pruning a live branch almost seems like murder, but the result is fullness of life.
Yesterday I used for prayer chapter 15, verses 1-8, of the Gospel according to John. Jesus is using the imagery
of the vine and branches to emphasize our lasting union with him. The word "abide" dominates the passage. We abide in Jesus and he abides in us. One of the most important emphases in all of John's Gospel is the intimate relationship between Jesus and his disciples.
Jesus says that this living, lasting union will bear "fruit," another frequent word in the passage. In my prayer I found myself at first wondering what fruit I ought to be producing. It gradually dawned on me, however, that living a life of contemplation was itself "fruit." In our world that demands work and results it is hard to value being over doing. In the prayer Christ's word "pruned" me to be even more dedicated to prayer and reflection.
The other line in the passage that means a lot to me is "Without me, you can do nothing." In one of the very brief prayers that I say every morning as soon as I get out of bed I switch that around to, "Without You, I can do nothing." Full life comes from living and growing in Jesus.
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