In last week's Gospel Jesus concluded his teaching on the vine and the branches with the formula for us giving glory to God, the Father: "bear much fruit and become my disciples". Jesus is telling us that to bear much fruit, good fruit we must be a constant witness to our faith. Part of that witness includes how faithfully we adhere to the teachings of the Church including our attendance at Mass, to receive and live the Sacraments, to know the faith by knowing the Catechism, to read and pray with Scripture and I could go on.
Another way we witness is by living that faith personally and then sharing that faith, not watered down but delivered with love and compassion. And this is especially true for those who are faithful church goers and faith-filled practioners. Allow me to demonstrate with a story:
When I was in formation for the Permanent Diaconate, one of our instructors was a most charming and appealing fella. He had some great lived experiences, including seminary and being ordained a Priest, asking for and receiving permission to leave the Priesthood, continued to be faithful to Catholic education, married to a wonderful woman who he would later become the principal caregiver as she battled a terminal illness. He became a widower, continued his teaching ministry, which would include instruction in several necessary courses for the diaconate formation program. His story that he shares every class he teaches goes something like this:
As a young boy in his parish, he would notice every week before Mass this car pull up to the entrance of the church, out walked a lovely lady and the man driving the car remained in the car until Mass was over. He would witness this all his young life to he left to study in the seminary. When he would return on breaks while studying for the Priesthood, he noticed that this pattern continued. Now years older, the lady would dutifully attend Mass while her husband sat in the car. After he was ordained, he returned for some years to serve in his home parish and sure enough, this pattern continued. Now, as a Priest, he knew he had to solve the mystery of this man remaining in his car, Sunday after Sunday, for now almost 25 years. On a Sunday when he did not have the Mass, he ventured out to the car, greeted the gentleman, and introduced himself as the new Priest in town. And the man knew him; knew all about him. He described how he had watched this young boy grow into a parish Priest. The Priest, impressed that the man was actually paying attention, approached the subject. I've watched you faithfully drive your wife to church Sunday after Sunday for all these years. She goes in to Mass and you stay here in the car. Why don't you come in for Mass? His first answer was not good enough for the young "Father". He had simply said, well, I'm not a Catholic. Undeterred, the Priest said you are most certainly welcome, please come to Mass and sit with your wife. And then the conversation turned: Father, he asked, don't you Catholics teach that at Mass you have the real presence of Jesus? Yes, the young Priest replied. And Jesus is always present in that tabernacle in the center of the church? Again the reply is yes. And you say prayers at this Mass and listen to readings from the Bible at Mass? For a third time, yes.
Then the kill shot: You see Father, I've actually been bringing my wife every week to Mass since our wedding more than 30 years ago. With all that she has told me the Church believes and teaches, why does she come from Mass with so little joy. Little joy? He continued, yes, for years my wife returns to the car and never tells me about receiving Jesus in the Communion, or what the sermon was, or the readings from the Bible. Rather, she shares with me what the lady in the pew in front is wearing, or whether she likes or dislikes the hat another lady is wearing. She tells me if the kids in another pew are well dressed, or well behaved. And she tells me that the sermon was too long, or boring. The choir sang off key. I tell you Father, if Jesus is really present in there, if God's Word is preached in there, and this is what she gets from her time at Mass, I don't think I want to be in there.
Wow. The young Priest gets it right away. Our dear friend, this faithful weekly Church attending Catholic was not being a good witness to her faith. Perhaps her faith was just inches deep. Despite being in the Lord's presence at Mass, the Eucharist, the source and summit of the faith, she did not bear much fruit; did not bear good fruit.
In all that we do, not just on Sunday, but Monday through Sunday, in good weather and bad, in happy times and sad, do we give witness to the joy of our faith. Do we know that we can do anything if we remain in him? Does our faith manifest itself in both prayer and devotion, AND, our care and concern for our brothers and sisters, especially those who are living on the fringes, marginalized by their fellow man?
If we are not a true witness, if we bear little fruit, or poor fruit, we cannot possible lead others to Jesus Christ, the true vine, and His strong powerful branch, His Holy Catholic Church.
Think about this story and go bear much fruit; good fruit!
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