The Vitality of the Vine
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 9:26–31 / Psalm 22:26a / 1 John 3:18–24 / John 15:1-8
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Reflecting on the Word
By Rev. James A. Wallace, C.Ss.R.
Jesus the vine gives flower to some very different branches. Last week we considered Peter, so this week let us turn to Paul. No one would have suspected that Saul of Tarsus, that “breather of murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,” would ever become known as “the Apostle to the Gentiles” and one who would refer to himself as both a loving father and mother to the communities he himself tended. As Peter proved to be a good shepherd of the flock, so Paul was a dedicated worker in the vineyard, tending with such loving care the branches growing from the one vine that is Jesus.
What we see in Paul and hear in his letters is the intimate love of Christ for his church. Take up any of his letters and you will become engaged with the spirit of Paul as an instrument that communicates the spirit of Christ. Paul’s letters reveal the many voices he used to preach Christ crucified: the evangelizer and herald, the teacher and witness, the admonishing father and loving midwife, all calling God’s children to be fully alive in Christ.
Jesus speaks of himself as a vine with many branches, befitting not only the infinite variety of individuals he called in his own day, but also the many peoples and nations that have come to believe in him. We pray for all who give themselves over to the work of the vineyard, to all who help others to remain in Christ and bear fruit.
Consider/Discuss
- What does the image of Christ as the vine with many branches say to you about today’s Church?
- How do you understand Jesus’ words about the branches needing to be pruned so that they might bear more fruit?
Responding to the Word
Risen Jesus, you are the vine and we are the branches. Strengthen our resolve as a community to remain in you, so that we might bear more fruit. May your words remain in me, your child; may I, like Paul, recognize the life these words carry within them, and hold them in my heart.