Fr Kevin Kilgore

Spring is finally here! For some of us, that’s not good news, as spring awakens our allergies, bringing weeks of sniffles and sneezing.

But, at the same time, spring is the most beautiful of seasons: it’s that time when nature comes fully alive.

Just drive down Harrison Avenue. We’ve all seen those trees bursting with life. The branches are so full of petals they look like puffs of pink and white cotton candy.

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Now I’m not a gardener, but I do know this: every tree or plant has two types of branches: those that bear fruit and those that don’t. Or, we might say, those that give life versus those that take it.

And herein lies our first lesson from Jesus today: get rid of those branches that aren’t bearing fruit.

We’ve all seen them. They are the dark, limp, decaying ones that shrivel up in the sun. Yet even as these branches are dying, they demand energy from the vine. And they give nothing back.

I find that a fascinating truth – branches take energy to die.

This is why a gardener’s eye is trained to look for them, because they sap the vine’s energy, making it harder for the healthy branches to grow and bear fruit.

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In a similar way, there are two types of branches in our lives: those that bear fruit and those that don’t.

Let’s focus, in particular, on those withering branches, the ones that sap our energy and bring us down. Think of those times when we get frustrated, stressed out, or when our heart is filled with fear and negativity.

These emotions are like withering branches. They drain us, keeping us from feeling healthy and at peace. Thankfully, Jesus offers us his help. He wants us to be happy, just as much as we do.

Where am I withering? Where am I being drained by negative thoughts, habits, or emotions?

Call on the name of Jesus, the Divine Gardener, who can prune those dead branches in our hearts.

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Lesson number two: Stay connected to the vine. Remember, your life is part of something bigger.

Let’s consider this from the perspective of someone who is not connected to the vine.

Imagine a driver who gets behind the wheel drunk, thinking, “It’s me and the road.” He sees himself in his own car, on his own highway, on his own mission to get home. He’s stuck in the world of, “Me, Myself, and I.”

In that moment, he doesn’t understand just how much his actions affect other people. He fails to see the bigger picture.

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On the other hand, there are those who see themselves as connected to the vine. They are part of their family, their community, their church, and the world.

They understand that their actions affect other people, so they work to be a force for good, even in little ways.

That may be as simple as listening to a friend’s troubles, smiling at a stranger, or praying for those who are struggling, even that driver behind the wheel.

How are we connected to the vine? In what ways do we strengthen others and give back to our family, our community, and our church?

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Remember Harrison Avenue. The trees are bursting with life. But if you look a little closer, you’ll notice two types of branches, those that are blossoming, and those that are not.

That’s really an image for our own lives. We’re all beautiful creations, bearing fruit for Jesus. But there may be areas in us that need to be pruned, withering branches that drain our energy and bring us down.

Will we let Jesus heal us? As he says today, “By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples” (John 15:8).

When someone learns that I’m a priest, often their reaction is: “Oh, Father, so nice to meet you. There is such a shortage of priests in the Church today! You should be allowed to marry – then there be more of you.”

But I’m not sure that’s the answer…

What the Church suffers from today is not fundamentally a shortage of priests, but a shortage of disciples– men and women who really believe Jesus and put his teachings into practice…

What the Church needs, then, is YOU.

So what is Jesus trying to teach us today?

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First and foremost, Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd. We are his sheep. But why? Why must we be sheep?

Sheep are defenseless. They have no claws, no paws, no fangs, no venom. When a wolf comes along looking for his next snack, sheep have no way of defending themselves.

So when the wolf attacks, the sheep literally run around in a big circle, hoping they are not the one eaten! Can you imagine these poor animals thinking, “Catch him! Catch her! Just don’t catch me!” That furry frenzy reminds me a bit of musical chairs. Cowardice at its best.

The bottom line is sheep need a shepherd, because only he can defend them.

In the very same way, Jesus is telling us that we need him. HE is our shepherd. He is our protection. He knows that there are plenty of wolves lurking in the shadows, waiting to attack us and feed on our fear.

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What threatens me? What makes me run around circles like a sheep without a shepherd???

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For some of us, it may be that heavy weight of college loans or bills that pile up. Maybe it’s the pestering presence of a bully at school or at work, a negative turn in our health, a death in the family, a pink slip at work, dryness in prayer, or an addiction that never lessens its grip.

Whatever our burdens may be, we all know that feeling of being overwhelmed. Flustered. Afraid.

But Jesus says to us today, “Don’t run around in circles. Run to me!” As he says elsewhere in the Gospels, “Come to me, all you who are burdened and I will give you rest.” I will give you peace. I will give you security. I will give you hope.

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Lesson number one: Run to Jesus, our shepherd.

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And lesson number two: stay with the flock.

Sheep have a herding mentality. If a sheep gets separated from the flock, it instantly starts to panic. It literally stands in place and shakes because it doesn’t know how to find its way back home.

What it does know is that there are plenty of wolves hiding in the bushes, waiting for their next snack. The sheep’s only chance of survival is being found by its shepherd.

This is why Jesus says that he will leave the 99 for the 1 lost sheep. We would die without him.

But when Jesus finds us, he brings us back to the flock where we belong. He brings us back to the Church.

This is where we encounter Jesus. We encounter his mercy in the sacrament of confession. We receive his Risen Body and Blood in the Eucharist. And we interact with other members of his body when we care for one another.

Just as no sheep can survive alone, so no Christian should try to journey through life without the love and support of the Church.

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This image of a shepherd, his sheep, and those nasty wolves really is an image of our lives.

Though there will always be people or experiences that threaten us, we do not have to be afraid because we have one another – and, above all, we have Jesus, our Good Shepherd, who has loved us and given himself for us.

There’s an old saying, “The true test of an army is how it fights when it’s tired.”

When the troop morale is low, when the supplies have run out, when the weather has turned against you and the mud is cold, when blood drips down your face and the enemy seems to be winning, when your muscles ache and your heart is faint, how do you fight?

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History tells us some soldiers have dropped their weapons. They deserted their brothers and “returned to their former way of life” (John 6:65).

Others fought to their death.

We see this clearly happening in today’s Gospel. Jesus’ army is being depleted. At the beginning of this chapter he started with 5,000 men – not including the women and children. They were all ready to follow him.

Now he is down to 12.

The crowds simply will not accept his teaching that we must “eat his flesh and drink his blood,” a future reference to the Eucharist (John 6:56).

So Jesus turns to his disciples to see what kind of soldiers they are, asking them, “Do you also want to leave?”(John 6:66).

Though they do not understand Jesus’ teaching just yet, they trust him and remain by his side. As Peter says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” (John 6:67).

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What type of soldier are we?

When temptation strikes, do we fight? 

When our prayers go unanswered, do we fight?

 When we struggle to understand Christ’s teachings, do we fight?

 When living out our faith demands humility and patience, do we fight?

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“The true test of an army is how it fights when it’s tired.” How well do we fight for Christ, especially when we’re tired or when we struggle to understand his teachings?

The good news is this: even if we drop our weapons – even if our faith fails us – Jesus will never stop fighting on our behalf.

To him be the glory now and forever.