5th Week of Easter

Jesus told the Disciples that He would go to the Father but come back. He gave them His peace, a fragile gift in the face of fear about what would happen once He departed. Jesus said to remain in His love, keeping the Commandments and loving one another just as He loved them. In case they forgot lessons He taught, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would remind them. Reassuringly, our Savior invited them to picture Him as a vine. They would stay connected to Him like branches. Vines need pruning so that errant shoots and tangled stems don’t keep light from reaching the inner leaves. Why do we sometimes try to tell the vine grower, our heavenly Father, what to take away, instead of trusting Him to prune in a way that allows fruitful growth in the Light of His love?