Acts 9:26-31
1 Jn 3:18-24
Jn 15:1-8

Fruitfulness

In Sunday’s gospel, Jesus describes his relationship to his disciples using a metaphor about the vine and the branches. Just as necessary as the relationship between the vine and its branches, so too the intimate relationship between Jesus and his disciples is needed for their mission to continue to do the work that Jesus began. 

In order for a vine to produce good fruit, branches not bearing fruit are removed. The fruitful ones are pruned to produce more yield. The message of the reading encourages us to remain closely connected to Jesus because without him nothing can be achieved and we will be discarded as unfruitful branches if we try to do everything ourselves.   

Even when we connect to Jesus and try to be fruitful we are not guaranteed an easy life without pain and difficult times. These are the times we most need our intimate connection with Jesus who will help us to grow through those hard times. 

We may need to do some pruning ourselves and eliminate any habit, thought, or action that prevents growth. We always have a choice about how we will live our lives. Jesus is always with us helping, healing and forgiving us. Through prayer, honest self-reflection and the desire to be fruitful and committed Christians we find the key to the intimate relationship with us that Jesus seeks. Again, the choice is ours.

The second reading from 1 John is helpful to think about for any changes or improvements that we may need.

“Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts before him in whatever our hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us.“

In what ways are you a fruitful, intimate relationship with Jesus?

What thoughts, words or actions in your life need pruning?