Wednesday
of Week 5 in Eastertide
John
15:1-8 – “I am the true vine…”
This allegory of the vine and branches illustrates
Christ’s teachings about effective discipleship. Bearing fruit in terms of
extending the Kingdom of God – in other words, winning people over to
repentance and commitment to Christian life, requires intimate union with
Christ through the Eucharist (the vine) and the Word of God. In order to bear
fruit, a branch of a plant must be organically connected to the vine, through
which it receives life and nourishment. If the branch is broken from the vine,
not only will it not bear fruit, but it will wither and die. In a similar way,
to be a disciple of Christ means to be bound to Christ so we receive life and
nourishment from him, and in Christ, we will be united to one another.
We should remember that before commissioning the
Apostles to go and preach the Gospel, there is a strong exhortation to struggle
for a close union with Christ. The success of the Church’s work of
evangelisation depends on the spiritual lives of the evangelizers. That is why
the saints have always been the best promoters of the Gospel. Let us all
remember His words, “apart from me you can do nothing.”
