Connected to the Vine

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, April 28th, 2024:
Fifth Sunday of Easter

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John
15.1-8

​Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.

“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in them bears much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.

“Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

I remember standing on my tippy toes in my best shoes. It was my First Communion day. I peeked over the countertop to see the cake my mom had made and decorated especially for this day. There were vines and beautiful lettering that read, “I am the Vine and You are the Branches.” A couple of years ago that memory came back to me with a jolt because I realized that was also the Gospel passage at my perpetual vows about twenty years later. It’s beautiful how certain scripture passages seem to chase you, eh?

What did the Lord have for me in that passage as a child, on one of the most important days of my life? What does He have for you, now? 

I am the vine, and you are the branches. The image is one that speaks of life sources. The branches that are attached to the vine can bear fruit, while those that are not attached cannot bear fruit. The image of them being cut off and thrown away reminds me of Saint Paul’s admonition, “The wages of sin is death.” We avoid sin because we want to be connected to the life source, the True Vine!

Imagine yourself being a branch – okay, I admit we may need to “spruce up” our imaginations a bit for this! But imagine, if you will, that you are a branch connected to the Vine. The Vine provides all your nourishment. It keeps you growing and connected with the rest of the plant. It allows you to burst forth with life and to bloom with luscious fruits. 

Now, no one wants to be pruned. It’s sharp and pokey and invasive. Maybe there are parts that the Vinegrower thinks should be cut off, but we don’t quite see why yet. Great gardeners always prune a little more than I initially think they should. They make things look bare at first, exposed, and lonely. But the Lord is the Gardener Extraordinaire! Remember the very first place He chose to place Adam and Eve. Remember for whom Mary Magdalen mistook Him on the morning of the Resurrection. 

In the grand scheme of things, I have learned, in my time as a branch, that the more we trust him, the more we flourish. This Vinegrower knows what to prune and what to keep. And the alternative – to tear myself away from this Vine – would be to choose death for myself. This branch cannot live without the Vine. 

Lord, make me a good branch. Let me abide in you, and Your Word in me, that I may bear much fruit and be Your disciple. Amen!

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​Sr. Angela Burnham

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