You and I are instruments of Our Lord to bring souls closer to Him not only through our prayers, but also through our words, our good example and real friendship with the people He has placed beside us, with all the naturalness and while fulfilling our human obligations in the ordinary conditions of our life. We encounter this Sunday another image which Jesus uses to describe himself and his relationship with his disciples. 2 Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more. Let that sink in. I often find myself crashing headlong into the brush only to realize all these nicks and scratches are proof of my own ego. 10 Reasons God Might Not Be Blessing Your Life, 10 Life-Giving Scriptures for Every Christian Woman, 10 Christian Dating Advice Tips for Singles Seeking a Godly Relationship, 3 Reasons Why It's Not Good for Christian Men to Be Alone, This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright 2023, Crosswalk.com. John 14-17 is often called the Last Supper Discourse because it was His last time of teaching with the twelve disciples. The demand for autonomy has bred an epidemic of loneliness, despair, and alienation. At first glance, we may assume that branches bear fruit, but in another sense, its really the vine that makes it all happen. This site adheres to the Catholic Church and all her teachings. The other place in the New Testament that describes something parallel to remaining in Jesus is Pauls letters. His latest book is Heroic: The Surprising Path to True Manhood. From Christ and in Christ, we have been reborn through the Spirit, in order to bear the fruit of life; not the fruit of our old, sinful life but, the fruit of a new life, founded upon our faith in Him and our love for Him. But we were not created to be self-sufficient. Take some time regularly to give thanks. 2. It is only in connection with the people of Christ that we can truly be part of the vine. The fruit referred to by Our Lord is the holiness of a life made fruitful by [our] union with Christ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2074).. I am the vine and you are the branches. This Site is placed under the Patronage of my many favourite Saints and especially, St Paul. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. The fruit that Jesus means for his disciples to bear is that of the Holy Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 6:22-23) and also that of effective ministry. What was going on in John 15 when He spoke these words? 10:00am, I am the vine; you are the branches. The Church has always heard a reference to Communion in this saying, especially to the cup we bless. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. A personal reminder for myself. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. A moral power outside the limits of Christianity is clearly recognised in the New Testament. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Let that sink in. Nothing. These "I am" proclamations point to His unique divine identity and purpose. Todays 5th Sunday of Easter Year B Gospel presents Christ as the true vine and we, Christians, as the branches: I am the vine, you are the branches. Although the sound bite perhaps most associated with the passage is "I am the vine, you are the branches," that actually introduces the second half of the passage. Abide in Me, and I in you. The significance of the context now becomes clear. We are in such close proximity to Him that when He died on the cross, we died with Him, and when He rose from the dead, we did as well into a new life (see Romans 6:1-10). 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. John 14-17is often calledthe Last SupperDiscourse because it was His last time of teaching with the twelve disciples. What struck me about this metaphor today is that humans often get it mixed up with the metaphor of family trees and take bearing fruit to mean having children, and how some denominations still seem to see this as the primary function of Christians (especially women). Stillness: Try to sit in silence for 5-10 minutes each day. When Jesus says that He is the vine, it is the last of a series of statements He makes in the gospel of John using the same form: I am theBread of life, I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Resurrection and the Life.. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Fr. Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular. The, the definite article. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[ a] so that it will be even more fruitful. The Church has always heard a reference to Communion in this saying, especially to the cup we bless. A primary verb; to stay. A primary pronoun of the first person I. Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular. To even add more shape to the idea, Paul uses another metaphor. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons. Kindly help more people in their Christian life by liking our page and inviting your family, friends and relatives to do so as well. How do we do this? Bearing fruit then just happensbecause its ultimately His fruit, not ours. To carry, bear, bring; I conduct, lead; perhaps: I make publicly known. Its also about communion with nature. Share to help others in their Catholic faith and life. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever . A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc. (LogOut/ This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. And to miss Him is to miss it all. I feel humbled and very much look forward to being of service to His Holiness and the Church., He added: A great deal has been achieved in England and Wales in recent years by many co-workers to advance Biblical scholarship and the provision of easy-to-use resources. We arent just practicing wholesome ethics. It is translated in different ways: to stay, to abide, to live, to live in union. Zero. Jesus calls himself the vine and his disciples branches that bear fruit. Properly, apart from me. Earth and heaven are not opposites, and the more entwined we are in each other, the healthier and more fruitful we become. . If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Against this background, Jesus speaks of Himself as the true vine, the One who will bear good fruit to His Fathers approval and glory. Who Is the Beast in Revelation 13, and Have We Met Him Yet? I Am the Vine (15:1) In verse 1, Jesus introduces the metaphor. We arent just believing a set of truths. Jesus first mentions that He is the vine a few verses earlier: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener (John 15:1). Bearing fruit then just happensbecause its ultimately His fruit, not ours. All rights reserved. How do we learn to remain in Jesus so that He becomes like home to us? He destroys every branch in me which does not bear fruit; and he cleanses every branch which does bear fruit, so that it may bear more fruit. (LogOut/ We owe earth care not just because its in our self-interest, although it surely is, and so we must; but also because she is the beloved medium of Gods self-showing, the indispensable partner of Gods adoring attention to us, the one who reveals the Holy One to our senses, in beauty, in nourishment, in joy. All rights reserved worldwide. IF WE REALLY WANT TO GROW IN LOVE WITH OUR LORD, WE NEED TO UNITE OURSELVES WITH HIM THROUGH FAITH AND GRACE. 3. margin.) Helping you win loyal friends through your communications, All the stuff I should be writing down for a book someday, Soulful leadership in its many manifestations, https://hymnary.org/tune/sheldonian_taylor, Reflection and Hymn: The Most DeliciousBread, Encampments: In Situ Poems and Found Devotions, This was the Original Episcopal Cafe site. I am the vine, you are the branches. Hosea 4:8 They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. John 15:5. This idea has a few important consequences: There is so much more that could be said about all this, but Ill leave it here for today. The symbol of the vine is found frequently in the Old Testament. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. REFLECTION The Lord calls Himself the Vine and those united to Him, branches, in order to teach us how much we shall benefit from our union with Him and, how important it is for us, to remain in His Love. We become like Jesus and do His great deeds not by trying harder or pumping up some kind of spiritual energy. Fr Graffy is a past director ofBrentwoods Commission for Evangelisation and Formation and parish priest of Christ the Eternal High Priest in Gidea Park, Essex. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou. Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular. If we dont remain in Jesus, we are just remaining somewhere elseinanxiety, in anger, in fear, in shame, in ambition, in numbness, in self-absorption. - John 15:5 Amid all the unknowns of today's. I, the first-person pronoun. Thank you and I pray all those who visit here will be abundantly blessed. He is already looking over the cliff, into the darkness He is about to fall with the cross. But the metaphor of vine and branches is not just about communion with Jesus and each other. Then be still for a few moments. Apart from, separately from; without. It seems that we are not quite so autonomous as we imagined. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. 1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? 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. Listen now to Jesus as he begins one of His most amazing statements: I am the vine; you are the branches (John 15:5). The Vine and the Branches. Reflection and Hymn: Vine and Branches. Probably from the base of amphoteros and that of halon; a vine. Here are four suggestions to get you going. It is up to us to remain. We dont have to plan for it. Against this background, Jesus speaks of Himself as thetruevine, the One who will bear good fruit to His Fathers approval and glory. (a) I am powerful, have (the) power, (b) I am able, I can. Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular. We teach what he taught. He has been a church planter, a high school Bible teacher, and a running coach. It is his words that should always guide our lives. Jesus words could also mean that when we attempt to bear fruit apart from abiding in him, we will fail in frustration. ye can do nothingspiritually, acceptably. (LogOut/ They are words that must be said before death comes. Talking to Him becomes like talking to your best friend. Our Morning Offering 18 April O Heart ofJesus! "I am the True Vine" ( John 15:1) is the last of seven "I am" declarations of Jesus recorded only in John's Gospel. Rev Dr Graffy received his doctorate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome in 1983. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The image of the vine is particularly effective because the branches cannot live without their attachment to the vine, neither can they be fruitful without the goodness provided by the vine. Webster's Bible Translation This is so in line with the way Jesus taught throughout His ministry, taking everyday items as analogies for Kingdom truths. Like branches growing from a vine, we now draw our life from Christ and we cling to His holy commandment, in order to preserve this life. We care about what he cares about. Now we understand a bit more about our verse at hand. Let us give thanks to God for the gift of His transforming love. First, then, our Lord sets forth, with no mere repetition, the same broad idea which He has already been insisting upon-viz., that union with Him is sure to issue in fruitfulness. IF THE CENTRE AROUND WHICH YOUR THOUGHTS AND HOPES TURN IS THE TABERNACLE, THEN, MY CHILD, HOW ABUNDANT THE FRUITS OF YOUR SANCTITY AND APOSTOLATE WILL BE (St. Josemaria, Forge, n. 835)!. Ask Jesus, What do you want to say to me? Jesus is always trying to speak to us, but often we do not take the time to listen. NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. I am the vine; you are the branches. Among his publications are the Gospel of Mark and the Letter to the Romans (Alive Publishing). b 4 Remain in me, as I remain in you. See more ideas about john 15 5, vines, true vine. Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Pax et bonum! This development of the image invites us to consider the consequences of a refusal to be nourished by the kindness of God. gain access to 50+ premium resources to enhance your study of Scripture. 3. Because we had goodwill, we made the act of faith that brought us to Christ and received from Him, the dignity of adoptive sonship which made us His own kinsmen, according to the words of Saint Paul: He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. PRAYER O God, in defence of Whose honour Stanislaus, the glorious Bishop, died by the swords of wicked men, grant, we beseech Thee, that all who seek his help may obtain salvation as a result of his prayers. Passionate Catholic. 8 It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples.. "I am the vine and you are the branches. With his image of the vine and branches, Jesus is calling us away from all that, to a different kind of identity, relationship, and vocation. The Old Testament allusions make it fairly clear that this was a grapevine, often used for making wine. By receiving the Holy Spirit, Who is the bond of union between us and Christ our Saviour, those who are joined to Him, as branches are to a vine, share in His own nature. Through the Eucharistic sacrifice, God makes us partakers of his divinity (Prayer over the offerings). To belong to the One who took our flesh, and to belong to all our human neighbors, is also to belong to the earth. HOMILY / REFLECTION 5th SUNDAY OF EASTER B. Many of us are urbanites, having left the life of the farm. NIV I am the vine; you are the branches. At first glance, we may assume that branches bear fruit, but in another sense, its really the vine that makes it all happen. Make publicly known Policy or email us at Privacy @ biblegateway.com and His relationship with His disciples branches bear. Site adheres to the cup we bless to realize all these nicks and scratches are proof of people... Person, and a running coach those who visit here will be blessed! 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