22 May 2019 - branch office

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.

Jesus is the source of our life. If we want to bear fruit, especially love, joy and peace, we need to remain in him. We need to cherish our connection with him and be extremely protective of it. Neglect on our part can partially whither our connection to him and cause us to languish.

He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.

Jesus wants healthy plants. He won't watch us pour energy into things which don't bear fruit. He prunes those branches because they are dying, even if we fail to recognize it. An example of this is when something which used to seem fun for us no longer does because we are being called to living more in accord with our purpose. Jesus is willing to take away the joy and the life from parts of our lives in which we are investing effort disproportionate to the joy that we can attain. It is hard at the time but preferable to the whole tree dying.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

When we remain on the vine our desires are pruned with such precision that we can expect miracles when we pray. We become confident that the fruit we want to bear is what Jesus wants and that he will provide the life we need to bear it. By this is his Father glorified.

Protecting our connection to the vine means protecting our connection to the truth we have through Scripture, Tradition, and the magisterial teaching authority of the Church.

Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbyters
about this question. 

Let's invite the Holy Spirit to take our connection to vine to the next level. He is the life that flows from the vine to us and through us to the world. He is delighted to give us more of himself.

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.