Homily 379 – More Than Purple Weeds – 5th Sunday of Easter

One of the things I enjoyed about being pastor in the country was driving through the beauty of God’s creation as I went from parish to parish. In the spring, I would love to see all the fields full of purple flowers. Somehow I had grown up believing that this was clover, planted intentionally by farmers, to help the soil… or something like that. I mentioned this one time to some parishioners and with puzzled looks was informed, “Father, those are weeds.” Everything I knew about agriculture was shattered.

So, I’m not the best with growing things. What I thought were fields of beautiful flowers were really just weeds that created a nuisance for farmers. All the weeds had to be plowed under so that the real crop could be planted and grow. I thought of this today as Jesus talked about pruning vines. Sometimes appearances are deceiving. A plant with lots of branches looks healthy, but sometimes it has to be pruned so that it can really grow and bear fruit. Sometimes you have to get rid of what just looks nice in order to create something better.

This is what God says he wants for our lives. He wants us to bear fruit, lots of it. I kind of like the image of a vine because vines always strike me as being messy. Unlike a tree that grows somewhat predictably, vines grow all over the place. They often look like a mess. But looks can be deceiving. Even though the branches may seem out of control, every branch is connected back to the vine. That’s the secret for our lives too. No matter how chaotic things get, so long as we stay connected to Jesus, we’re OK.

So ask yourself today, are settling for what merely looks good? Are you so busy that your’re like a plant with so many branches that you really need a good pruning? Are you so fooled by mere weeds that look pretty that you never let God plant the real crop? Today God assures us he only wants our best. He wants us to bear fruit. He’s trying to tell us that life can be so much more than purple weeds.