How are your gardening skills?
I’m not much by way of a gardener. I can grow herbs, but apparently that takes the same skill set as growing weeds. A few years ago, someone gave me some peppers to plant, as well as a string bean plant. The peppers did fine. However, I accidentally nicked the string bean stem as I was planting it. Not enough to sever it completely, but it certainly was not the usual connection to the roots that one might have hoped for. The plant barely hung on. It had just enough fibers still attached to keep it alive. But it never thrived. It just kind of hung in there. And it never produced any flowers nor any string beans. There was just not enough there for the bean to bear fruit.
That experience got me to thinking. I wonder how often my life in Christ is like that string bean plant? I keep just enough connection to God to keep alive, but not enough to bear the fruit that is possible for me. Just enough time spent with my Lord to keep me going, but not really enough to flourish.
There is a story told about Michelangelo, in his role as teacher. He entered his studio and examined the canvases of his pupils. A few he complimented. He advised some to keep their day jobs. Finally he came to his star disciple. The man was working on a small canvas. Michelangelo took up a brush. Across the picture, he wrote the Latin word “amplius.” It means “larger.” The maestro felt his pupil was playing it safe. He was not working up to capacity. He wanted him to start all over again. The artist did and he painted an exquisite canvas.
Spiritually I think all of us are capable of being more interesting Christians than we are. What we lack is boldness. We are good as far as we have gone. But we have not gone far enough. We have settled for ‘just barely being connected’ to our savior. It keeps us alive, but just that. Our spiritual canvases are too small. We are capable of so much more in the spiritual life. “The greatest tragedy,” wrote Leon Bloy, “is that each of us is not a saint.”
And the interesting thing about today’s gospel is the thrust on HOW to become just that – how to become the saints God intends us to be. In five verses, Jesus tells us eight times to REMAIN in Him. That’s the secret. Abide. Remain. Stay with. Be present to. However you want to say it, the most profound image that John uses to describe the relationship of the disciple to the master is that of connection. And whether that is by the gardening metaphor of the vine and branches, or the poetic metaphor of lovers who ABIDE in one another, it seems pretty clear. The way to greatness of Spirit cannot be short-cutted. One abides, spends time, remains, stays CONNECTED, or there is no life. Without the connection to Jesus we call prayer, we die. Without the STRONG connection to Jesus, we do not bear much fruit.
So this week, I invite you to three possible responses to today’s gospel.
Concretely:
a) a little extra time in prayer this week. Open this passage. pray into it slowly, line by line. Let Jesus abide with you. Maybe you will become aware of some pruning that needs to take place. Maybe some letting go. But make sure you spend some moments remaining in Jesus.
b) abide with a friend this week. Invite someone over for coffee or lunch or dinner or just to chat. Learn how to spend time with them.
c) Image Jesus peering over your shoulder at the canvas of your life. What part would he write the word “AMPLIUS” over? Where would he want MORE from you?
Are you a good gardener? It doesn’t matter. Because God is. (If you look out that door to my right, [point to flowering tree] you will see how lovely God’s gardening is and how much LIFE he wants for us all.) What God wants for us is AMPLIUS – More! More life, more love, more fullness, more resurrection, more fruit! May our lives indeed bear much fruit because we ARE connected fully to Jesus the vine.