In today's Gospel Jesus says " I am the true vine, you are the branches...my Father is the vine dresser...whoever remains in me, I will remain in him, and he will bear much fruit...because without me you can do nothing...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" These paraphrased words of Jesus speak to us in a deeper way and encourage us to remain in Jesus, to abide in Him forever so that we can bear good fruits and have eternal life.
The symbol of the vine has been used more often in the Bible both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. It was used by Isaiah 5.1-7 to express the LORD’s complaint at the unresponsiveness of Israel. It was used by Jeremiah saying that God had planted Israel "as his choice vine" (Jeremiah 2:21). It was used by Ezekiel 15 in his painstaking unpicking of the proud symbols of Israel. It was used by Jesus in the parable of the Wicked Vinedressers (Mark 12.1-12) to shame the irresponsible current leaders of Israel. Now, in the Last Supper discourse, on the way to Gethsemane it acquires a new dimension, the pain of pruning. However, the suffering of Jesus is not the principal point here but the one of the disciples: disciples of Jesus must be prepared to bear the pain of pruning.
Jesus uses the symbol of vine and branches to show us that as the branches continue to have life when they are on the vine so are we to remain in Jesus if we have to have life. As the branches bear fruits when on the vine, so are we to remain in Jesus if we are to bear good fruits.
What does it mean to bear fruits? When Jesus speaks of bearing fruit, he means that his words have to remain in us and have to cause good effect in our lives. For us Christians, bearing fruit is to live the Christian life and its virtues as well as living the gospel values every day of our lives. Listening to the word of God should not just pass in our ears, it should bring good effects in our lives, in the way we live, the way we relate with one another, and in the way we do things so that whoever sees us, lives with us, speak to us and experiences us should see Christ in us and that is when the Father will be glorified. This is what bearing good fruits means in our life as Christians.
Which fruits do we bear when we remain in Jesus? It's obvious that we shall bear good fruits and in abundance. These fruits will be prompted in us by His Spirit, and therefore we shall bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit which include love, joy, justice, peace, faith, understanding, humility, meekness, charity, patience, benignity (kindness), goodness, longanimity (forbearance), mildness (gentleness), modesty, continency (self-control), chastity and many others. These are fruits which St Paul talks about in Galatians 5: 22-23. With these we belong to the kingdom of God for the kingdom of God can be summarised by Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." It is, therefore, the Spirit that Jesus gives us when we remain in Him that prompts us to bear good fruits. These fruits must be true and shown practically in our lives as St John tells us in the second reading, Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.”
How do we remain in Jesus the true vine? We remain in Jesus by listening and allowing His word to remain in us and affect our lives. We also remain in Jesus when we do his will in our lives and allow ourselves to be led by His Spirit. By this way he comes to us and makes our hearts his home especially when we receive Him in Eucharist. St John again tells us that those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us. However brethren, remaining in Jesus needs pruning, and we have to be ready to bear the pain of pruning. Jesus is the one who prunes us so that we can bear fruit in the vineyard of His Father. Are we ready to be pruned and face the pain of pruning?
The pruning Jesus does is the spiritual pruning, the spiritual purification so that we remain on the vine. Being spiritually pruned means we actively let go of our own will and our own ideas and desires. It means we give up control over our lives and let the master grower take over. It means we trust Him far more than we trust ourselves. This requires a true death to ourselves and a true humility by which we acknowledge we are completely reliant upon God in the same way a branch is reliant upon the vine. Without the vine, we shrivel and die. Being firmly attached to the vine is the only way to live. Let us allow Jesus to prune us of all our vices, pride, selfishness, worldly desires, and all that is anti-kingdom. This is a painful process which we need to be prepared for.
Reflect today on how you have been able to remain in Christ? Are you ready to be pruned by Jesus? Which vices and other things do you want to be pruned from your life? Are you ready to bear the pain of being pruned? Then pray that Lord will give you graces you need to be pruned and bear good fruits. Trust in Jesus and know that He is the only way to bear good fruits.
Let us pray.
Lord, I pray that You prune away all my pride and selfishness. Purify me of my many sins so that I can turn to You in all things. And as I learn to rely upon You, may You continue to bear an abundance of good fruit in my life as you have started. Amen
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