“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower….Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit” (NRSV, John 15:2).

With St Peter that pruning was his penitence and shame; with others it may be a long drawn out trial of unanswered prayer; of persistent ill-health; of unhappy circumstances, or some personal disaster; but whatever it may be, the fact remains that until our wavering faith in God is put to the test, it must be frail and uncertain and an unsuspected source of weakness in the union of ourselves with him.

But once our faith in him has been made strong through trial or suffering, then in union with Our Blessed Lord there can be formed the more abundant fruit of his strong and holy life.

No one willingly invites suffering, but when it strikes us let us not fling it in the face of God, but rather recognise that the trial of faith which it involves has its place in his plan for us, for “…all things work together for good for those who love God…” (NRSV, Romans 8:28); and once that faith has been made firm and resolute, we are the better able to serve him, by word and example, as he should be served.