Acts 9, 26 -31; Psalm 22; 1 John 3, 18-24; John 15, 1-8
By +Guy Sansaricq
We are still living in the glow of Easter. The teaching today is that Jesus is not an isolated leader basking in glory over the clouds.He Shares with us his glorious victory. This teaching comes in the form of a colorful image. “I am the Vine and you are the branches.” We are grafted in Christ. In his short speech he repeats four times “Remain in me as I remain in you.”
Let us therefore rejoice that we are to Jesus what a branch is to a vine tree. This is what we call the mystery of the “IN DWELLING.” Jesus is not a faraway friend. He lives within us and is the source of our fruitfulness. We will be fruitless If we ever lose our connection to him. The farmer prunes his vines in winter time. Dead branches burden the tree and reduce its ability to bear grapes. The Father also “prunes” us. Through trials and sufferings we learn discipline and obedience. We increase our ability to receive God’s grace. Our sins, vices and bad temper block the passage of grace into our souls. Sufferings cleanse our inner selves ridding us of our radical sterility. Let’s rejoice in the last line of the Gospel “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done to you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciple.”