For many of us the significance of the agrarian references in the readings today may not be initially obvious. The wild grapes that Isaiah references are grapes that grow a lot of foliage, but not much in the way of fruit. They are wild and spread, but do not give much in return. This is something that can be a trap that we can easily fall into as well. We can grow in our material possessions or perhaps our worldly pursuits, but completely miss the opportunity for the kind of growth that really matters, the bearing of fruit that will be pleasing to God and draw us closer to Him. However, if we are from God’s stock, and are pruned and cared for, we can be fruitful individuals. This can be accomplished through being part of God’s Church, and through prayer and petition to the one who is the true Master of the vineyard.
Saint Paul similarly instructs us to pray and petition God, and to give Him thanks, and to have no anxiety about anything. This lack of anxiety is our way of placing our trust in God, knowing that He will take care of all our needs, and that no matter what, we are part of His plan. If we trust in God and not so much in ourselves, the natural fruit of that will be this lack of anxiety. There is simply no need of it when our faith and belief is truly with the one who knows all of our days and loves us more than we can conceive of.
Our love for God and for His Son Jesus Christ is the path that we strive to be on. We want to be fruitful laborers in God’s kingdom and to fulfill our intended purpose as His followers. To be servants of our Lord, and to be those to whom the Kingdom of God will be entrusted, and subsequently to provide back to God the fruits of the harvest within us at the proper season as the bounty of our labors that He gives us the grace to achieve. It is important to understand, however, that while we are all God’s children, to truly be fruitful laborers takes effort on our part. To do this we embrace our Lord and follow His teaching and show our love for Him and for one another as evidence of this. Jesus gave us the needed direction through His word and example. We must be willing to follow and emulate Him, and to place our own earthly wants and desires well after this. To do this seems at first glance like a burden, but it is really just the opposite. There is freedom and consolation in knowing that we are following our Lord. There is a closeness and intimacy that comes with that, that cannot be completely explained, but must be experienced to fully understand. If we pursue this intimacy, then we will become like a small vine, one that will grow and bear much fruit.
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The Deacons Bench 
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