Do Not Fear the Pruning!

By Fr. Alex Radulescu

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."  (John 15:1-2)

​For those of you who have a green thumb, pruning is an essential part of maintaining a beautiful, healthy and fruitful garden.  For those who have no clue, join the club!
 
So, what is pruning? Pruning is a practice involving the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. Among the reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, reshaping, improving health, and increasing the yield of fruits. It is vital for the life of the plant. In order to thrive, the plants need to go through some “suffering.”
 
Who’s who in this analogy? The vinedresser is God the Father who created “the vineyard” of this world and provides for it through His loving care; Christ is the vine who transports water and nutrients from the soil to the branches so they can produce fruit. And we are the branches.
 
This is a brilliant analogy in order to portray the role of God in our spiritual life and also our response to His care.  God the Father sent the Son to give us eternal life.  Only in Christ we are saved.  Christ is like the vine that connects the branches to the ground.  Only through Christ we can receive the life of holiness from the Father. If branches are not well connected or get sick, they wither and die because they are no longer able to receive nutrients from the vine. 
 
The same happens with us, the branches: if we depart from Christ and look for alternative sources of nutrients for our soul: money, fame, and things of this world and cling to them, we will eventually wither and die, spiritually speaking.
 
But for those who do stay connected to Christ, there is more to do: “every branch that bears fruit He [God the Father] prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:2) Even healthy branches have to suffer in order to yield more fruit. They have to undergo the pruning process. This process includes cutting away parts of the plant that are not necessary or are bad and, if left uncut, can impede growth.
 
There are many obstacles to our spiritual growth that need to be removed: bad relationships, addictions, pleasures of this world, and things that seem good at first, but they can definitely damage our relationship with God. 
 
Think of this pruning as a necessary evil in order to grow. For example, parents need to discipline their children in order to form good character. This means that they may take away some privileges or ground the kids if they disobey them. Do they hate their kids? Of course not, but they see the bigger picture of developing good character in their children rather than allowing them to go on the wrong path.  This type of pruning is formative because it helps us grow straight, not crooked.
 
But there are other types of pruning. Look at a trainer who puts the runners to the test.  He pushes them hard in order to get them to achieve their maximum potential.  Their muscles may hurt terribly during training, but they will gain strength for a good run later.
 
How about pruning as a loss?  The vinedresser cuts away a branch so the rest of them thrive.  This is the harder one to discuss.  There are many losses in our life that are hard to explain: loss of a loved one, a good job, a beautiful relationship, our health and so on.  They say that what does not kill you makes you stronger. I agree. The hardships that I experienced in my life have definitely made me a stronger person.
 
So, what do we learn from this analogy of pruning, after all? What is Christ teaching us? Here are three main lessons to take away:

1. Learn from our own mistakes

Why have I lost this or that? Because sometimes we, the branches, cling to the wrong vine and feed ourselves the wrong type of food: bad friendships, substance addiction, money, fame and so on. We sometimes learn life lessons the hard way, but hopefully realize that God is more important than anything in this world.

1. Trust God when he cuts things away

Who do we trust more? God or ourselves? We often blame God for our suffering as if He is the cause of it.  But think of God as a parent Who loves us so much that will not allow us to perish.  This loving care implies losing some privileges for the sake of the greater good in our life.

1. Obey God

Obey God’s will for His will leads to holiness, even if some pruning is necessary.  This means following the discipline of our faith: fasting, prayer, acts of compassion.  They are not easy, but they can help us grow spiritually.
 
In conclusion, remember that God loves us and will never abandon us. As long as we are attached to Christ, the true vine, we will be fine. Just trust and obey God’s will, even if it seems that we are at a loss sometimes:  yes, I may not have gotten a graduation party because of the coronavirus lockdown, but I spent moretime with my family than I ever imagined, and I do not regret it!
 
There are countless examples of “pruning” that made us go mad in the moment, but in the great scheme of things, helped us grow stronger in our faith and closer to God.  I hope you were able to recognize a few similar moments in your life, as well. Amen.