JESUS IS THE TRUE VINE, WE ARE THE BRANCHES WEEK B - E5
In this Gospel, Jesus explains to His disciples that He is the true vine and the God the Father is the vine grower. He states that God will take away the branches that bear no fruit, while the branches that do will be pruned to bear more fruit. Jesus explains to His disciples that He is the vine and the disciples were the branches. The disciples that have heard His teachings have already been pruned. Like how the branches must be connected to the vine to bear fruit, the disciples must remain in Jesus because they can’t do anything without Him. Anyone who doesn’t remain in Him will be thrown out to wither on their own.
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 fire 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.
2. connect it!
1. Explore it!
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 every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
JOHN 15: 1-8
Jesus tells us to remain in Him, but how do we do that? We can do our best to constantly think of Him, sometimes we can easily forget to keep Jesus on our minds throughout our busy day. It can be hard to remain in Jesus at times, but by living a Eucharistic Day, it can be a bit easier. When we live a Eucharistic Day, Jesus is present in our actions and guides us throughout the day. We can offer our day to Him, unite with Him by receiving the Eucharist, and even ask Him to be with us as we sleep. We can revolve our day around Jesus by remembering to pray before meals or showing love and kindness to our neighbors. By centering our day around Jesus, we can make sure to always keep Jesus in our hearts 24/7.
[ loyalty] Loyalty is the quality of being faithful to a cause, ideals, or a set of beliefs. We as Catholics must do our best to betray our own beliefs and stand our ground. The Vietnamese martyrs, for example, remains loyal to their beliefs even in the face of death. While we may not ever have to face that ordeal, we still have hardships and trials that life may throw at us. Despite that fact, we need to we must remain loyal and stick with Jesus because it’s through Him that we can overcome anything. We must have faith that there is a plan that God has laid out for us. This week, show that you stand by your beliefs. Do the Sign of the Cross before you eat, even if you’re out with your friends or stand up for someone that is hurt or in need of support.
4. LIVE IT!
3. reflect it!
When in our lives do we remember Jesus in everything we do? Do we offer our day to Him? Do we thank Him for every blessing that we’re given? Sometimes we find ourselves prioritizing other aspects of our lives over our relationship with Jesus. We must do our best to remain in Jesus and always remember that Jesus is in everything we do. Throughout our lives, we face so many challenges and temptations, and we won’t be able to do much about it on our own. However, with Jesus, we can overcome all things. He gives us the strength and fortitude to continue to do His good work as well as live our lives in His name.
5. REMEMBER IT! “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.” (John 15:5)
6. PRAY IT! Heavenly Father, thank you for choosing us to be the branches that will bear fruit for You. Please remain in us as we remain in You and help us remember that all things we do, we do through You. Amen.
