Many of you know I didn’t grow up around here. I grew up in the coalfields of Virginia, spending most of my early years running through the woods and climbing the hills. My father raised a small arbor of grapes, and I remember hiding under those leaves, stealing the sweet fruit on a hot summer day. I also remember the wild grape vines that seemed to run from the forest floor to the tops of the trees. My friends and I would swing on them like Tarzan, adventuring in the forest. I say my friends and I, mostly my friends, did. I have always been a big guy, so I usually broke the vine and landed on the ground or rock instead of swinging majestically through the trees.
We had always been warned not to eat wild grapes. On a hot summer day, though, when you were far away from the house or the water hose, looking at those grapes in the shade of the forest made them look rather enticing. Eventually, of course, we dared one another to try them. So I did. I can still remember the taste. It was bitter and sour. The worst part is it wouldn’t leave your mouth for ages. They also had a strong smell that lingered on your fingers. No, wild grapes were definitely not refreshing or enjoyable.
In our readings today, the writers mention a vineyard and grapes. The simple matter is that we are in the vineyard of the Lord, the Church. Our goal in this life is not only to consume that which is good for us but also to produce fruit. That means we must be careful what kind of nutrients we bring into our bodies. Many things in this world seem good and pleasing to the eyes and senses, but once we allow them into our hearts, they turn bitter. They begin to stain us with their bitterness and leave a lingering scent that harms those around us, just like those wild grapes. When you squeeze grapes, for instance, out comes grape juice. No matter how hard we press, what it is made up of is all you’ll get. Never orange juice. Never apple juice.
It’s kind of the same with our hearts. If we are constantly taking in anger, resentment, and hate… when the world squeezes us, when life puts us under constant strain and pressure, what’s inside comes out. That’s why we must be careful what we watch or listen to. We want the grapes cultivated by Jesus Christ, the things our scripture calls: whatever is honorable, whatever is pure, whatever is just, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious. When those things are in our lives, the peace of God will be with us, and when pressure and stress come along… the peace of God is all that’s left to be ‘squeezed out’ onto our family and friends.
Then how do we find this fruit, these dew-kissed grapes, under the arbor on a hot summer day? That’s what the teachings of the Catholic Church are all about. In the Sacraments, we find the fruit that will transform us. In Confession, we see the tools needed to scrape out the bitter and sour stench that sin has left in our hearts and conscience. The Eucharist, received worthily, gives us the strength to continue on the path of conversion and grace so that we can become more like Jesus and less like the person we were before. For those of us who are married, the Sacrament of Marriage pours out the grace necessary to help us release that peace of God into our homes, leaving the stress and difficulties of work behind as we close the door to the world. It is in living the Catholic life that we begin to not only consume that fruit that truly will refresh us, that living water that will never leave us thirsting again but also that we, too, become branches of that vine and begin to pour droplets of grace into our lives and onto our families.
We only have this lifetime to get it right. That last line from the Gospel should be a scary one. God is mercy, yes. God is love, yes! But God is also justice. “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” Let’s begin today. As we approach the Liturgy of the Eucharist, let’s be a people that produce fruit. Let’s look up at that host, in the hands of our Priest, as the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ is made present to us in this very place and say with all our hearts, “Amen.” We believe. We will go forth from this place and work to produce fruit in our hearts and our lives.