Jesus’ teaching uses the imagery of pruning a vine to help us understand that faith must lead to charity, and He does so in three ways. Firstly, Jesus says, He is the “true vine.” He is the only source of the nourishment we need for a new life of grace. He is the only way to Heaven and salvation. Knowing our Lord and being attached to Him firmly is our expression of faith. Secondly, our Lord says He will take away every branch which does not bear fruit. This tells us that faith without the good fruit of charity is dead, and is akin to a branch on a vine which produces nothing. And thirdly, when Jesus finds a branch which does bear good fruit, he doesn’t leave it alone. No, instead, He prunes it with loving attention so that “it bears more fruit.” Jesus is both nurturing and compassionate.
In order to apply these teachings to our lives, we have to begin by looking at our faith as if it was a branch firmly attached to a vine. Do you believe all that God has spoken through His holy Word? It is useful to regularly examine our conscience in regard to our faith. Since faith is the first step in our spiritual life, it must remain firmly grounded in the Truth God has revealed. This means we should regularly study the Word of God through our reading of Scriptures and the teachings of the Church, and assent to those teachings with all our mind.
Once we have affirmed our faith in all that God has spoken through the Scriptures and the Church, we should examine our sense of charity. Are there acts of love in our life which result from our faith? It is possible to “love” many things in a purely emotional way. Charity is not based on how we feel, but rather on faith. Charity is the fruit of faith. What acts of charity can you point to in your own life? What have you sensed God calling you to do in a selfless and sacrificial way? Have you done what He has called you to do?
Finally, when you discover the ways charity is alive within you, rest assured God will focus His pruning there. Pruning can be painful. It requires sacrifice; patience in the face of trial; overcoming selfishness; doing things you might feel uncomfortable with, or doing something you simply just don’t want to do. So, sometimes God might make a charitable act seem unpleasant as a way of pruning our motivations and making them more pure, based more on faith than on emotion. But this is good, isn’t it?
The holy imagery we see from Jesus is a lesson from nature that reveals the supernatural life of grace at work. Don’t be deterred by the pruning God wants to do. Embrace suffering with love, respond to injustice with forgiveness, offer mercy when you don’t feel like it, and seek to serve selflessly those who, you may feel, seem undeserving. Doing so will prune you so that God will be able to build up His Kingdom in glory, through you. We are called to be workers in God’s vineyard. It is a calling we must accept, and live our lives as Jesus would.
