Pruning the Vine

Harvesting Merlot grapes in Southern Maryland isn’t my typical preparation for prayer, but last Saturday was an exception. A group of us seminarians made a fraternal outing to a beautiful vineyard before reflecting on Jesus’ image of the vine and the branches. 
   
Led by Fr. Regan, the seminary’s vice-rector, we drove an hour and a half to the vineyard to pick grapes from the vine. One of our seminarians used to work at the vineyard, and he gave us a guided tour of the facilities.

Grapes grew chaotically from the vines. There was no predicting where a cluster of grapes would end up. Some hung from the vine while others tangled with a nearby fence. Each plant had an individuality and complexity despite being part of the same field and soil. Some grapes were dried up and moldy from too much rain. Most, though, were ready to harvest. As we worked, we quoted lines from Scripture. Matthew 20, about the workers in the vineyard, was a favorite. Getting dangerously close to pun territory from the repeated vineyard quotes, we broke from work around 1:00pm for our tour.

I was struck by how human the whole harvesting process was. There was no automation for growing or picking or trimming the vines, so the work required time and individual attention for each vine and plant.  We saw dead vines and trimmings in a burn pile and we learned how long it took for planted vines to bear fruit. Planting, harvesting, and aging the wine requires patience, attention, and care. While none of us got to taste the finished product, we did get to see the literal fruits of so much labor. It was humbling to remove grapes from a vine that took nearly three years to bear fruit.

Following the tour, we gathered in an empty field and read John 15, in which Jesus proclaims that He is the vine and we are the branches. It was incredible to meditate on this passage following our day of harvesting. The physical experience of picking fruit from the vine gave each line new meaning, as did our lessons about the work that goes into each plant.

The labor in this passage is personal and human. Jesus tells us, “Remain in me, as I remain in you.” (Jn 15:4) He advises us that “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:5) Jesus then points to the burn pile in the vineyards and says: “Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.” (Jn 15:6)

These are powerful words for anyone. As a man discerning the priesthood, I found the chapter especially gripping. It is God who grew us on the vine and personally pruned us. “You are already pruned because of the word I spoke to you.” (Jn 15:3)  He chose us.

That word “pruned” stayed with me. Pruning is incredibly important for the branches to grow correctly and bear fruit. Fr. Regan pointed out that pruning, in the spiritual sense, removes excess and prepares us to receive grace. It’s a beautiful image: Jesus pruning each of us individually so that we might be formed as His friends, children, and, if God wills, His priests. After Saturday, I’m asking myself: What do I need to prune? What dead branches from my life belong in the burn pile?

Mr. Angsten is a College II seminarian for the Diocese of Arlington.