In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes several different statements that begin with the words “I am”. These statements are important because in each case, Jesus is revealing a truth about some aspect of our relationship to him. There is also a connection between these “I am” statements, and the response that the Lord gives to Moses at the burning bush, when Moses asks the Lord for his name. When Jesus says “I am”, he is expressing his connection to the Father.
In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus speak about how he is the true vine, and the Father is the vinegrower. To me, there are two things that are striking about this passage. The first is that Jesus makes it clear that it is the Father who does the work of pruning the branches of the vine, so that they produce more fruit. Secondly, Jesus stresses the importance of remaining connected to the vine.
By telling us that God the Father is the one who prunes the vine, Jesus reminds us that it is only by God’s grace that we are purified of our faults, and given the ability to produce more fruit for the sake of the kingdom. We cannot accomplish this work of pruning on our own: we need to allow God to be at work in our lives, and give him the space in our hearts to be able to take away those things in us that do not bear fruit. Allowing God to prune our hearts can be painful, but it is the only way that we can achieve true spiritual growth.
Jesus also reminds us that we must remain connected not only to him, but also to all the other members of the vine: our brothers and sisters in Christ. The phrase “Abide in me” is used no less than four times in this Gospel passage: a clear indicator of the importance of remaining connected to the Body of Christ! We are called to maintain our connection to Jesus through prayer and the Sacraments. We are also called to remain connected to our brothers and sisters, to support them in their journey, and to allow them to support us as well. When we do this, we truly become the bearers of good fruit that Jesus desires us to be.
As we journey through this week, we pray that we may strengthen our connection to Jesus, who is the true vine, and that through that connection, we may bear good fruit for the sake of the Gospel.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Steven Huber, CSB