THE TRUE CARETAKER OF THE VINE

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.  He shared There are 5 things you need to know, before I send you out into the world.  Always remember them and never forget and you will become the best pencil you can be.

1. You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand.  
2. You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil.  
3. You will be able to correct mistakes you will make.
4. The most important part of you will always be what's inside.
5. On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark.  No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.  The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.[1]

The desire to belong is one of the most basic human emotions.  Community, belonging, feeling connected and protected are all reflected in today’s Gospel about the vine and the branches.  Enduring the last couple of months without our public gatherings for Mass and other community events, on the surface we can feel very much disconnected.

However, something even deeper is happening in Jesus’ message.  Yes, he is the vine, and we are connected to him as the branches.  Let us not overlook the emphasis Jesus puts on his Father—and our Father. God the Father is the true caretaker of the vine and its branches.[2]  Physical separation from each other, does not mean being disconnection. If we, “the branches”, remain connected to Jesus, “the vine”, we can produce fruit within our family, our neighborhoods, our work for those who are essential workers, and even through our social media connections, connections that glorify the Father.

Putting ourselves in the place of the pencil; we must always remember and never forget these 5 things to become the best person we can be.

1. We will be able to do many great things, but only if we allow yourself to be held in the Father’s hand allowing others to access your many gifts.
2. We will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems, we'll need it to grow stronger.  Jesus understands the pain.
3. We will be able to correct mistakes we may make or grow through them.
4. The most important part of we will always be what's on the inside.
5. On every surface we walk, we must leave your mark.  No matter what the situation, we must continue to serve God in everything.

By remembering and never forgetting our relationship to the vine, our lives now, will have meaningful purpose and bear fruit for the glory of the Father, the true caretaker of the vine.

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[1] Parable of the Pencil by an Unknown Author

[2] Weekday HomilyHelps Homily Suggestion by Linus Mundy.