The power of a Metaphor

People often ask me why I believe the metaphor of the Vineyard is such a powerful way to communicate how the Christian life works for ever believer in every place at all times. The reason I believe this is because Jesus used this metaphor on the last day of His life before he was crucified. Metaphors allow us to see clearly and they allow us to see the together as one.

If you ever come to Portugal for a visit, you will find that the Catholic churches of the past 500 years of Portuguese history are the heart and soul of any tour that would attempt to explain Portuguese history. Take away the influence of the Catholic church in Portugal and you cannot understand their history.

Right in the middle of the Portuguese Catholic history is the influence of Mary as the Catholic metaphor for how God solves human needs. Mary is the most prominent and consistent feature in the Portuguese history. Mary has been for centuries the most important metaphor of God's activity among the Portuguese.

About 100 years ago three children claimed to have seen an appearance of Mary. From this dramatic testimony Portugal's most famous holy site was born. This is the power of a metaphor. We people begin to see the same thing clearly and as one then things will begin to happen on a bigger and bigger scale.

Whenever you enter a Catholic Cathedral in Portugal you will most easily find Mary. Finding Jesus is not as easy as finding Mary.
That, too, is the power of a metaphor that becomes the main metaphor for explaining God's love to people.

We must choose our metaphors of God's dealings with us very carefully. If Jesus is not the metaphor that is easiest to find it could take centuries to give to Him the preeminence he should have.

The metaphor of the Vineyard is one sure way to keep Jesus clearly seen by all. That is why I encourage people to go back to the vineyard and find the vine.

(The photos of the large church square are taken at the shrine of Fatima where the children claimed to have seen Mary. The three children kneeling are at the entrance to the Seminary we have called home for the past 13 days. The grapes are growing in the back yard of a missionary family who served us dinner last night. Finding Jesus in their home was easy.)
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