When I was a kid, in the late summer, my brothers and I would go to an old farm and pick green apples. The ones we didn’t eat that actually made it home, my mother would use to make apple pie or apple crisp. Served with ice cream or cool whip, it was a little taste of heaven.
We always picked the best apples, not just the ones close to the ground. We would climb up into the trees to get the ones that were the biggest, brightest, greenest, and hardest. The ones that were bad, brown, squishy, or had worm holes, we either left alone or threw them at one another (boys will be boys), but we were drawn to the good apples.
Today it’s much the same. When we go into the produce section of a grocery store, we are drawn to and pick from the fruit that looks good. If there are any that are shriveled or moldy, we make funny faces and avoid them. We recognize and prefer good fruit.
The world hungers for good fruit, not just the kind on trees or in grocery stores, but the fruit we bear as disciples of Jesus. It’s our love, patience, peace, joy, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, and self-control that’s attractive and desirable. The world not only hungers for this good fruit, but it’s starving for it.
Jesus tells us in the gospels how we can come to bear this fruit and help him feed the world around us. In Matthew 13:23, Jesus says the seed that falls on good ground is someone who hears the word of God and understands it. By hearing the word of God and understanding it, incorporating the lessons of Jesus into our daily life, and living out of faith and trust in him, we will be more patient, generous, and kind. Nourishing our life by attending mass, spending time in scripture, praying, going to confession, listening to uplifting music and being with people who support and encourage us in our growth as a disciple, will enable us to manifest fruits that are attractive and desirable. Just like in the grocery store, people will gravitate to the nicest fruits.
Jesus needs us to be fruitful, for those around us to see and be attracted to the good fruit we bear. He needs us to be a witness, just by our everyday actions, to the life that Jesus offers; to lead someone one step closer to him. He wants them to know that he sees and acknowledges them, so that they experience the love he has for them and can express their love in return. In this way, we help Jesus spiritually feed those around us. The word that goes forth from God’s mouth does not return to him empty, but through us, through our fruitfulness, achieves the end for which he sent it and help him gather people to himself, to know his love, and grow his kingdom.