Dead Wood or Living Branches?
Easter 5
May 18, 2003
Dead Wood or Living Branches?
by Tom Cox

Pruning seems to be an area where many would-be gardeners slip. It takes a lot of vision to take courage and pruning shears in hand when tackling plants. If pruning is done in the wrong place, at the wrong time – the results can be disastrous, no fruit or bloom that year. But pruning must be done to remove what is dead or dying, ensure adequate sunlight and encourage new fruit or blossoms to develop.

It seems strange that what is most close needs such cutting discipline. But in every life, we’ve let unnecessary clutter. We need the cutting away of .. bad habits and attitudes… wrong relationships… lesser priorities.. anything that distracts from our highest calling.

We might think all this needs action on our part, and we’d be wrong. Several times in the Gospel passage, Jesus uses the word “remain” or “abide.” When a person repeats something, it’s to get a message across. In this case, it’s to stay closely connected to Him. The rest just follows. Are we connected or just living in the same general neighbourhood. Call ourselves Catholic but hardly Christian?

Connected people know too that whenever a time of deep pruning comes and the knife cuts deeply and the pain is severe, what an inexpressible comfort it is to know: “My Father is the gardener.”

(Comments to Tom at tomascox@eircom.net )