Gospel: John 15:1-8
I am the true vine and my Father is the vine grower. If any of my branches doesn’t bear fruit, he breaks it off; and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit.You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you. Live in me as I live in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you, if you don’t remain in me.I am the vine and you are the branches. As long as you remain in me and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not remain in me is thrown away, as they do with branches, and they wither. Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you. My Father is glorified when you bear much fruit: it is then that you become my disciples.

Reflections
“I AM THE VINE AND YOU ARE THE BRANCHES.”Jesus uses metaphors to des- cribe himself, his Father and his disciples. He says he is the true vine, his Father is the vine dres- ser. His disciples are the branches. The Father wills that the branches are productive. He cuts off from the vine the branches that give no fruit.The Father’s metaphorical ac- tions warn us Christians to be productive. We can if we want. We can if we are converted. To be pro- ductive and to bear more fruits we should listen to his words. His disciples are pruned by his words. We as branches are produc- tive insofar as we are connected with Jesus. We connect ourselves with him through his words and according to the contemplatives, through prayer.In this way, truly we become his disciples. Some Christians in the first readings are not con- nected with Christ, but with their former religion Judaism. Paul and Barnabas argue against imposing the Jewish law of circumcision to become Christians. The apostles in Jerusalem listen to their argu- ment and do not impose Jewish laws on their Gentile converts.We cannot produce good fruits if we impose our own opinion to others, not the apos- tolic teachings transmitted by the Church.
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