Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 15, 1-8
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 everyone 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.”
I am the true vine
1. Pruning. There are things that sooner or later in life we must remove, that we must prune. You have to break away from things or people that hold you back and don’t let you grow. Some relationships make you feel weak or simply humiliate you instead of bringing out something good in you. Also, there are people or things that you don’t want to let go of or remove for fear of what people will say or simply for fear of the effects that breaking away from them might bring about. Which things or people should remove from your life in order to produce something new in you?
2. Remain in me. God invites you to hold on to Him, to remain in Him. Don’t give up your search for life and the eternal. But it’s necessary that you strive to remain in the things and with the people that give you foundation and certainty. And let go of, prune, the things or people that don’t let you grow. So seek to remain in people and things that do you good and help you to discover yourself in the reality of your life.
3. To bear fruit. This implies remaining with people and things that not only do you good but also help you to do good, to give the best of yourself to others. How important it is to ask yourself what you are doing for others, what contribution you are making to the lives of others. If you remain in God you’ll bear eternal fruit. You can’t leave this life without having done good for others.
Remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
