THE VINE & THE BRANCHES:
Scripture: “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.” – John 15:5
Catechism of the Catholic Church: “By the power of the Spirit, God’s children can bear much fruit. He who has grafted us onto the true vine will make us bear the fruit of the Spirit:…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. We live by the Spirit; the more we renounce ourselves, the more we walk by the Spirit.” – CCC #736
Brothers and sisters, as Jesus Christ said in His own words, “Without me you can do nothing.” And how true that is. Without the Lord in our lives, we have no one to turn to should all in this world abandon us. Without the Lord in our lives, we have no one to turn to for help against temptation and sin. And without the Lord in our lives, all hope is lost.
As branches of the Vine, we are called to produce fruit; the fruit that will allow us to be joined to the Vine for all eternity. And, to ensure this, we are called to share the fruit with others: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Nature has shown us what happens to fruit when it goes unused; it rots and dies.
It is the same way with us brothers and sisters. If we do not live out the fruits of the Spirit that Jesus has produced through us – I’ll say that again – the fruits of the Spirit that Jesus has produced through us – our relationship with the Lord and each other withers away. The Vine will then produce new branches to do the work that God had originally called us to do.
What then happens to those branches that fail to produce good fruit? Let us remember that the branches receive their nourishment from the vine, just like we receive our nourishment from the Lord. Therefore, may we all work together in producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and put them into action as Jesus – our Vine – would have us do.
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 every one 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.”
“If the root is holy, so are the branches.”-Romans 11:16
