GOSPEL, John (15: 1-8)
Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint John
Jesus the True Vine
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
The Gospel of the Lord
REFLECTION
“Remain in me”
Pilgrims of this world, we are invited to organise our lives according to Christ’s message where he tells us “I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance” (John 10: 10). In a relationship with the Lord, we find that we are able to face even the most adverse situations: contempt, physical suffering, persecution and even death.
In order for people to understand the scope of his message, the Lord creates comparisons, to the agricultural world, which makes it easier to understand the context.
Today in this passage from (John 15: 1-8) he tells us:
4 “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”
In St. John’s Gospel, the grapevine is the symbol for Jesus and the believers. Christ says that he is the “true” vine, the new Israel. In this, all people have a place and all are invited to remain in it and bear much fruit.
Believing in the initiative of a God who loves the world and gives his beloved Son to it, man must respond with a love proven by obedience. This is the essential core of the Christian faith of every disciple of Christ. “He who loves me will keep my word,” said Jesus (vs. 14, 23).
To be a Christian, to be a disciple of Christ means to remain united to Jesus through faith, love and obedience. This is why Jesus repeats: Stay in my love, because without me you can do nothing.
PRAYER
We are your vineyard, Lord, the people you love; and thanks to Jesus, we may live and bear fruit if we remain united to Him. Amen.