“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”
This past year has been about learning to do two things: Letting go, and letting God work in my life.
If I were to be completely honest with myself, I’ve struggled to do both due to my stubbornness and lack of trust in Him. So, when I heard these words during the gospel before I left the Philippines to go back home in Canada, I could not help but chuckle and thank God for this much-needed reminder.
If you read my previous blog post, you would know just how scared I was to travel to the Philippines. As funny as it may sound, I was afraid of going to ICON and GLS because of what I thought the Lord was going to reveal to me while I was there. I was worried that He would say something that I was not ready to hear or worse, not willing to hear. (This of course did not happen – check my latest post, hehe) This negative mentality made me very selfish. I told myself that if God were going to ask me to do something that I was not comfortable with, I would tell him to “wait,” and that I could not do it right now.
It was not until the very last week of my trip where I realized how silly this all was.
Before Mama Mary said “yes” to carrying Jesus in her womb, she was afraid of what Joseph, her family and her friends would say but she did it anyways because she BELIEVED in the TRUTH and was AFFIRMED in her calling.
When the disciples said “yes” to following Jesus, they knew that their lives were not going to be easy, that people would judge them and make fun of their decisions, yet they FOLLOWED Him anyways because they were FAITHFUL to Him.
And when each saint lived their lives, they PRAYED, FOUGHT and DEDICATED their entire being to God because they LOVED Him dearly and KNEW He’d carry them through it.
As a household head and Catholic, I tell my sisters and friends all the time to trust in God, to let Him into their lives completely but here I was, doing the complete opposite of what I would preach.
If we, sons and daughter of Christ, are called to live a life that is pleasing to God, one that Mama Mary, the disciples and all the saints lived, then we too, must then learn to SURRENDER our lives to Him. We must learn to let the Lord take control, to be obedient to his words and to follow Him every step of the way in life.
With that being said, we are called to also let go of all the things that bear no fruit in our lives. Yes, they may seem good at the moment and may give us comfort but without realizing it, these can also become the things that bring us further and further away from Christ .
Therefore, we must remove them so that we can make space for the things that bear rich, good fruit. Fruit that cultivates more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.
“You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.”
The priest’s homily that Sunday could not have come at a better timing. His words of wisdom made me reflect on all the things the Lord has asked me to let go off this past year. However, instead of thinking negatively on the situation and seeing it as if I had lost something, I felt like God was encouraging me to see this as an opportunity for me to grow so that I can become a better daughter and Catholic woman of Christ. But of course, this is only possible if I allow God to work fully into my life and if I continue to pray and discern His will for me every day.
My prayer this week is that I strive to be more open towards Christ. I pray that I learn to be more fearless, more patient, more faithful and loving towards Him. And that I learn how to not be so afraid of letting go of what gives me comfort, but eventually become more courageous in knowing that God’s got my back! Lastly, I pray that I no longer be frightened of the uncertainties of life, but more so embrace the journey that comes along with it.
Amen.
Danielle Lape