Reflection
John uses the parable of the vine and its branches (us) in today’s Gospel; to describe our relationship with Jesus (the vine) and the Father (vine grower). If we extend the parable, the Holy Spirit is life-giving water that fills and flows through the vine and nourishes the branches so that they can produce good fruit.
We are prompted to reflect on what our lives are like united to Jesus and what they are like separate from him. We need to be pruned by the Father, to remain united to the Son, and to be energized by the Spirit.
The Father prunes us by permitting sufferings, tribulations, and temptations in our lives. These are opportunities for us to grow in our faith, not by coercion but by our own free choice. The Father invites us to make a sacrificial offering of ourselves in union with his Son’s voluntary self-sacrifice.
It easy to think that Jesus is just an extension of the Father, an appendage of the person of the Father. But Jesus, while in union with the Father, is a distinct person, freely choosing to give His life in obedience to the Will of the Father. It is to this type of union with Jesus that we are called. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus united with Him here on earth, just as Jesus was united to the Father in His earthly ministry.
Concerning the life-giving Spirit, do I experience how the Spirit dwells in me and is like a river flowing in and through me? The Holy Spirit provides a river of power. The flow of great rivers is used to create the hydro-electric energy to produce the power that allow great cities to be built in the desert. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is the spiritual energy that provides us the power to rise up and conquer the desert of sin in our lives, enabling us to be a bright light for others.
At the end of today’s Gospel passage, Jesus affirms that we glorify the Father when we bear spiritual fruit and become his disciples. We can only bear lasting fruit and store up eternal treasure when we are empowered by the life-giving “sap” (Holy Spirit) of divine grace. Healthy vines produce healthy grapes, which can then be crushed and fermented, and turned into wine. And wine, we know, can be transformed into the Eucharistic Blood of Christ, the Blood of the New Covenant. This image underscores how our good works and sacrifices can be transformed through union with Christ into pleasing sacrifices, acceptable to the Father.
Today’s Questions for Prayer and Reflection
What does remaining and abiding in union with Jesus look like in our lives? Are we united with him in our thinking? Do I think about others as Jesus did and does?
Source of today’s reflection: https://epriest.com/reflections/view/3070