Pruned to Bear More Fruit

Yesterday was an eventful day. After presiding at a Word and Communion Service at Mt Hope Hospital’s Worship Hall, with students and staff, I made my way to an adult surgical ward, there to minister to a dynamic lay minister and spiritual community leader. He was involved in a car accident and was now recuperating with multiple wounds.

Then later in the evening, we had the good fortune to host a Kenyan young man, passing through, on his way to one of the Caribbean islands, to explore becoming a priest. We reflected with him on his pilgrimage. He left Kenya, traveled to Amsterdam, then to St Maarten, to Trinidad and left this morning for his destination. There he will undergo discernment and formation that hopefully would end in the priesthood. There are no guarantees in life.

As I pondered the events of yesterday the words of this week’s Gospel resonated in my mind ‘Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit’. These are two good men, each in his own way being pruned to bear more fruit. The work of God is mysterious. John 3:8 ‘The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit’.

To chose to follow the Risen Christ is to embark on an adventurous pilgrimage to who knows where. There will be pruning along the way but as Jesus tells us in John 10:10 ‘…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly’. The disciple willing to be pruned will bear even more fruit. I was captivated by my friend, in the hospital ward - instead of me ministering to him - he was ministering to me, with his words of faith and hope.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, probably you are going through your own pruning. If so remember yesterday’s newsletter post - abide in him as he abides in you. No pruning is forever, nor beyond your capacity to bear with Christ. Know full well that you will come out stronger and bear more fruit, having been pruned by the Risen Christ.

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