The first weekend of the month in May is always First Communion Sunday. I really love this day because there is nothing better than seeing all the precious children participating in Eucharist for the first time in their lives. The problem with this service is the church is packed with a ton of family and friends for the kids; plus, the Mass runs extra long. My kids don’t like going for these reasons. I hate sitting in the back and feel guilty for taking seats in the front where the people supporting the celebrants should be able to sit. Thus, this Sunday we decided to attend 8:00am Mass instead of 10:30am Mass. Of course now I am sad because I didn’t see Lily, Molly, or Kyley receive Communion. Hum, I can be such a conundrum.
So, without being a part of the celebration, I sat at the earlier Mass tired from a late night of children and an unusually early wakeup in the morning. My son almost fell asleep during the homily which I worried about for myself, but Father used his three point homily. I love when he does this because I listen harder to remember the points. The other good thing he does is repeat the points a couple of times to really drive home the message. The gospel dealt with the vine and the branches, one of my favorites.
Point one talked about us being connected to Jesus like the branch is connected to the vines and to stay connected. I love the imagery. Father traveled to England and saw a vine over a thousand years old. I can’t even imagine seeing something that old. I will have to put this on my bucket list. In the mean time, I will stay connected by continuing to attend church, praying, and reading.
For the second point, Father talked about producing fruit. I don’t think it is enough to just stay connected; we need to live our faith by being charitable in words, thoughts, and deeds. This is the fruit that comes from being connected. In fact, if our branch doesn’t produce, we will be cut from the vine. We will no longer be connected. Producing fruit is vital to stay connected.
Finally, the point that touched me yesterday and still resonates with me is the third. I have always thought that God will prune us where needed to keep us producing the rich fruit which he does, but there is more to it. We must actively prune as well. We must cut out the areas of our lives that begin to disconnect us from the vine. I need to cut out my negative and judgmental thoughts of not only others but also about myself. I need to clip off following those who don’t keep Christ at the center of their lives. I don’t need to remove the people from my life, but I can’t participate in their destructive behavior either. I believe I have done this, but I need to continue to watch for the areas in my life that don’t produce fruit. Now, I can think of the vine and my ability to vigorously prune out the deadness.
I so love when the Homily speaks to me.
Blessings to you all.
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