I am the vine and you are the branches....

I am the vine and you are the branches....

The vine and branches are part of Jesus’ farewell discourse during the last supper. Through the parable of the vine and branches, Jesus assures them of his presence with them through the life-giving Spirit whom he will send.

In the Old Testament, we can see several passages of Israel as vine and vineyard. We read Psalm 80:9 “You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out nations and planted it.” We see in the book of Isaiah 5:1-7, the song of the vineyard. 27:2, “On that day—The pleasant vineyard, sing about it!” Jeremiah chapter 2 talks about the identity of Israel and words 21, we read, “I had planted you as a choice vine, all pedigreed stock; How could you turn out so obnoxious to me, a spurious vine?” We see in the Book of Joshua, when the Israelite went to the promised land, they saw the inhabitants - the Canaanites, carrying clusters of grapes as big as a man. It is land of milk and honey and it shows abundant produce.

In the Last Supper discourse, Jesus encourages disciples to remain united with Jesus, the true vine. When Jesus said to them, he knew that the unity will be severely tested, since the disciples will experience hatred, persecution, even death. Jesus shared with them the later part of this chapter and following. The vine was grown all over   Palestine. This plant needs a great deal of attention if the best fruit is to be gotten out of it. Jesus says, the Father, the vine dresser seeks an abundant harvest. Father must trim away the excess part of us to increase our growth in love. Jesus told them, “You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.”

The question is how is Father going to prune our life – it is through the Word of God and Sacrament. Jesus said, “I am the true wine” – at the Last Supper, Jesus took the chalice of wine and said, “this is my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant.”

The vine is part of Jewish imagery and the very symbol of Israel. In the Gospel, Jesus clothed himself the same imagery. Jesus is the vine and the apostles were the branches. Jesus, in the Last Supper discourse, stresses that the Israelites find their new life in the new covenant established by Jesus. Jesus invited them to “abide” in Christ (15:4-5) which connects to the Bread of Life discourse from chapter 6 (56). The other Gospels make an explicit link between the “fruit of the vine” and the Eucharistic meal (Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; and Luke 22:18).

This Gospel passage follows the new commandment of Love. "I am the vine…you are the branches." For the vine, there is not much of a trunk. Jesus has identified himself with us. It is about a relationship with Jesus. Suppose a branch comes off from a tree during a storm, it dies. It is because that branch is no longer a part of the tree or vine. It lost its life. This weekend the first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, testifies to the abundance of spiritual fruits yielded by the apostles because of their close bond with the risen Lord. John, in his first letter to the Church, explains that only if we remain united to Christ by putting our faith in him and drawing our spiritual strength from him, will we be able to obey God’s commandments, especially the commandment of love.

We are in Eucharistic Revival and Maintenance to Mission Years. The reading reminds us of the need to be united with Jesus. He shared with us His Word and Sacraments to prune our life to produce abundant fruit. During Easter time we celebrate the gift of the Lord’s life we received at Baptism. We are continually fed and nourished at the Altar. During the Mass, at the epiclesis the priest prays over the bread and wine, the gift of the human being,   inviting the Holy Spirit to change the gifts into Body and Blood of Christ – the true vine. Jesus says, “Abide in me and I in you” (Jn 15:4). The nourishment for our journey – to live our baptismal promises – to live the Eucharistic life – to make Jesus’ name known and loved in our daily life.

When we come for the Mass, we should prepare ourselves – we should ask ourselves, what should I offer to God at this Mass? We need to offer those with bread and wine and ask him to transform. Through the reception of the Holy Communion, he shares with us his very life. We need to spend time giving thanks for this greatest gift. At the end of every Mass we are sent out to live the gift we received – Eucharist – the mission.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 864 says, "Christ, sent by the Father, is the source of the Church's whole   apostolate"; thus the fruitfulness of apostolate for ordained ministers as well as for lay people clearly depends on their vital union with Christ. In keeping with their vocations, the demands of the times and the various gifts of the Holy Spirit, the apostolate assumes the most varied forms. But charity, drawn from the Eucharist above all, is  always, as it were, the soul of the whole apostolate."