Abide in me

Podcast

• Listen to this homily

Scripture references

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

Reflection

Children in this parish who are preparing to receive First Communion have been learning about the importance of this Sacrament for the past two weeks or so.  Like all of us, they listen to the words spoken as Jesus invites us to take and eat his body, and to drink of his blood, but understanding the importance of the Eucharist for our spiritual growth is something that takes an entire lifetime.

In the gospel today, Jesus tells is disciples, ‘I am the true vine’ (Jn 15:1) and you are the branches.  I’ve heard this passage many times before, but never truly appreciated it until I visited a vineyard last summer well actually it was winter in Australia when I saw the vines.  They had all been pruned after the harvest, and all that was left was a series of rather substantial stumps.  Each one of these was left to rest for the winter months in a state of dormancy, and if we didn’t know better, we might even have thought that they were dead.

In early spring, as the temperature warms, new shoots begin to appear, growing out of the stumps and as the summer months continue, the vines draw nutrients and water from the soil, feeding the branches that grow out of each stump.  Among the leaves that cover each tendril, there are sweet grapes that appear in abundance.  Like most plants, grape vines will not grow properly or bear fruit unless they have sufficient food and water, and once the grapes have been harvested, the shoots themselves are cut away from the vine and discarded.

The image of the vine presented in today’s gospel reminds us that Jesus is the vine, rooted in rich soil.  He remains the same from one season of life to another, from one generation to the next.  We are the branches, growing from the vine, drawing food and life itself from Him.  The fruit we bear is not grapes, but good works offered to a world that hungers for love, and thirsts for the fullness of truth and life (1 Jn 3:18).

Like the early Christians, we too might react out of human weakness and fear when confronted with the daunting task of spreading the good news.  We might even be tempted to be sceptical at first of some who are called to speak the good news in our midst (Acts 9:26) but in spite of our differences, we are all part of the same vine.  We all draw life from Jesus, and we are all called to take part in the mission of sharing the good news with the hungry and the thirsty of our world.

At some time in the future, when our earthly mission is complete, each of us will let go, returning to the Father and to our heavenly homeland.  Others who come after us will take our place, like the new shoots that come forth from the vine each spring, bearing renewed foliage, and the hope and promise of new fruit yet to be borne.

This is the treasure of our faith.  It is right that we should celebrate with our children as they are introduced to the gift of Christ’s divine food.  This food, drawn from the true vine, sustains us in this life and prepares us for the life to come.  We should always cultivate a special love for this divine nourishment, for it strengthens us and enables us to continue the mission of Christ who came to live among us, so that we might have life, and have it to the full.