Gospel JN 15:1-8
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”
Reflection:
“He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”
The cities of Fall River and Brockton, where My Brother’s Keeper does so much of our service, have for generations been immigrant cities. Many of the early residents were from Italy and Portugal and made their own wine; many of their grapevines still exist.
The original owners have moved but the vines remain, unpruned and overgrown. The branches grow wild and bear a few small and stunted grapes.
Occasionally, I come upon a vine that has been carefully pruned. All the life giving energy from the mother vine pours into the good branches and the grapes hang in magnificent, rich clusters.
“You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.” The apostles were pruned by three years of sharing in the teachings, miracles, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Many of us have also been pruned by the loss of a loved one, the agony of a child’s rebellion, the pain of a separation, the ravages of alcohol or drugs, or any one of a multitude of life experiences.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit”
Having been pruned by life, we hopefully turn to God, and as a result of our own pain, we become less judgmental and more able to lend a sympathetic ear and heart to those who are searching for the peace that only Christ can give.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you bear much fruit and become my disciples. By this is my Father glorified?”
When I hear the story of a parent who has welcomed home a long lost son or daughter, or the story of a broken, addicted person who has been restored to a productive life, I rejoice at the power of God to renew His spirit within a hopeless soul.
Truly, by such miracles as these my Father is glorified.
“Come back to me with all your heart. Don’t let fear keep us apart. Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life.” Hosea-Gregory Norbet