August/September Trinity
Luke 7, 11-17
And it came to pass that on
the next day Jesus went into a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large
crowd went along with him. And as he drew near to the gate of the city, they
became aware that a dead man was being carried out—the only born son of his
mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd of people from the city
accompanied her.
And seeing her the Lord felt her suffering, and
said to her, “Weep no more.”
And approaching, he touched the coffin, and
pallbearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”
The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus
gave him to his mother. Astonishment and awe seized all who were standing
there, and they began to praise God and to glorify what was here revealed,
saying,
“A prophet powerful in spirit has been raised among
us and God has come down to us, his people.”
Word about him spread out into all of Judea and all of the
neighboring regions
9th (of 9) August Trinity
September 22, 2019
Luke 7: 11-17
Fruits of the vine have ripened. They enclose the seeds for a new life. In nature, the fruit falls and dies away, releasing the seeds to
begin a new cycle of life. But fruits can also be tended and harvested to
another purpose—to be made into wine.
Today we hear of the young man; his life’s fruit had fallen
green. Christ catches his soul; He finds the soul’s seed of the new, and plants
it again on the earth. This is Christ as the great Gardener. He is tending a
harvest for his Wine. But no matter whether the soul’s fruit falls
early or
late, Christ is concerned with ongoing life, with the seeds within; He
preserves them, carrying them and planting them where they next need to go.
 |
| Pierre Bouillon |
In one lifetime, we may ripen soul fruits of many kinds.
When ripe, the fruits must separate from the vine on which they grew, for their
current cycle is finished. Things end, sometimes painfully. But what is valuable
in our soul, the ripened sweetness, we can offer for the wine harvest. Our
soul’s purest thoughts, our most noble feelings, the dedication of our will,
form the sweetness of the soul’s fruit. These we can offer for the wine.
What is viable in our soul fruit, seeds for the future, are
gathered up by our angel, under the direction of the Master Gardener. They will
be preserved, be planted, grow and develop. It may be in another place
and time. It may be for an entirely new and different purpose. But even in all
of life’s apparent endings, the living seeds are not lost. Knowing this, we can
keep trying, keep working to ripen our inner fruit, developing the sweetness, however
late, in whatever cycle we find ourselves.
So now, in all the layers of our autumns, we can say with
Rilke:
Lord: it is time. The summer was great...
Command the last fruits to be full,
give them yet two more southern days,
urge them to perfection, and chase
the last sweetness into the heavy wine.*
*Rilke, “Autumn Day”, translated by J. Mullen
