Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit.” In today’s Gospel, we come to understand that we are not isolated in our journey of faith. No, we have been grafted into the true vine that is Christ. Through our Baptism, we entered into the Body of Christ and are daily being pruned by the Word of God that comes to us in the sacraments, the scriptures, our daily devotions, and our daily interactions with our fellow humanity. These are the things, through Grace in the Holy Spirit, which keeps us bearing much fruit for the kingdom of God. We must remain in Christ, because we have nothing without him.
As St. Peter said, “Master to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68) This word of eternal life helps us to remain in Christ and gives us the strength to persevere in our journey of faith. We not only wish to bear much fruit for the Kingdom to avoid being pruned off of the vine and cast in to the fire, but also, and more importantly, we wish to bear fruit because of the Love God has for us and the love we have for him which leads us to desire the sanctification all the whole body of Christ. For the fruits of my brothers and sisters feeds me, and the fruits I produce not from my own strength, for I can to nothing on my own, but by grace and love of the Holy Spirit, will in turn feed my brothers and sisters. “By this is my Father gloried, that you bear much fruit.”
Reflection by Br. Placid Dale, OSB
Posted in Article for Easter, Daily Reflections