What does it mean to be a branch?
As with all good vine
growers, God cares for His crop, nurturing it, pruning it, giving it all it
needs so that it can grow and reach its full potential. We are no doubt the
branches. What does it mean to be a branch? Branches must be connected to the
vine or they bear no fruit. Even those branches that do bear fruit, they need
pruning so that they can grow and bear even more fruit. As we are all too well
aware, productivity seems to be the measure of success in the world today, in
our education systems, in the workplace, in economics; we are measured by what
we produce. Is Jesus really adding on the pressure in this Gospel passage by
telling us that he wants to see results or else!?
Perhaps we can read
this passage in terms of connectivity. Think of your most intimate friendships
and relationships. You don’t measure their weight in terms of produce do you?
But you do want to stay connected right? It is this closeness, this intimacy
that Jesus calls us to: “abide in me”. Are you connected or disconnected? If the
connection is strong, then fruit bearing comes naturally and people will see
the Gospel in our lives and in the way we respond to the world. If we are
connected, all manner of things are possible for us.
“People see the Gospel in our lives; let them read our lives” Pope
Francis
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