THE WORD
Ac 15,1-6 / Jn 15,1-8
Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. 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. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a re and they will be burned. 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.”
IN OTHER WORDS
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”
The grapevine needs pruning and trimming. But what part of the vine should be pruned? There are three parts of the grapevine that a good vine dresser trims.
First are the dead branches. These should be cut off because they are worthless.
Second, the leaves of the branches. Grapevines grow a lot of leaves. They look very green and very nice; but they, too, have to be pruned, because they sap the vital uid of the vine. Grapevines may not like it, of course; but if many leaves are allowed to grow, the grapevine cannot bear many fruits.
The third are the sucker shoots. Grapevines sprout many sucker shoots that grow where a branch joins the stem. These shoots are called sucker shoots because they suck the energy of the vine.
Instead of producing fruits, the grapevine produces a lot of leaves because of these sucker shoots.
It is noteworthy that a good vine dresser prunes the grapevine for three years successively. A young grapevine should not be allowed to bear fruit. Only after three years of pruning, cutting, and trimming can it bear good and sweet grapes.
In our Christian life, we, too, need a lot of pruning. For example, our green leaves of pride should
be pruned by the Lord, so that we may become meek and humble. Our “sucker shoots” of selfishness, self-suffi ciency, and stubbornness should also be trimmed by the Lord so that we may become obedient and mindful of the other.
- Fr. Raymun J. Festin, SVD | CKMS, Quezon City
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
