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.
Lection Divina:
READ: Jesus refers to Himself as the true vine while those who follow Him are
the branches that bears much fruit. Attached to Him, the true vine, the branches
will continuously bear much fruit. And they will be His disciples who can ask
anything they want from the Father because their life glorifies the Father.
REFLECT: We have been grafted in Jesus by virtue of our baptism. We are His
branches. That is why we need to be conscious of our attachment to Jesus in
order to take advantage of the nourishment such relationship brings. Our vigor
and fruitfulness come from Him. We are mere conduits of Christ’s fecundity. And
so, awareness and the capacity to receive the nourishment that comes from the
vine is dependent on our relationship with Him. Being baptized is not enough.
We need to cultivate a deep and loving relationship in order for us to receive
the spiritual nutrients that make our lives bear much fruit. And so, being close
to Christ is not a problem. We already are grafted to Him by baptism. Rather, we
need to check the quality of our relationship with Him. For those who are close
only by proximity but far affectively cannot expect to live a life of fruitfulness.
RESPOND: We are God’s branches here on earth. We ought to bear fruits for the
world. Fruits of good works and holiness in order to transform the world. Have
we been fruit bearing branches or weak branches devoid of produce? We can
question ourselves now and exert effort to become fecund branches onwards.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2021