Reflection on Jn 15:5
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Jesus says these words at the Last Supper, while revealing to the apostles the profound mystery of unity between Him and those who have received Him, and between Him and the Heavenly Father. This relationship, which is in fact the new life or God’s life in us, is secured by our connection to Jesus, just as the branches are connected to the vine, which is Christ. We, the branches, are nourished on the same life-giving sap. The Holy Spirit is our life-giving sap.
Jesus indicates in these verses that the condition for us to bear fruit is to abide in Him. We should then allow Him to live in our soul by making little sacrifices, by renouncing our will, so that He may work through us and promote the will of God. We will then truly bear fruit for eternity. Our acts of self-denial for the sake of Jesus, when we not only renounce bad things but we are willing to renounce even trivial good things in order to prefer God’s will in a particular situation – this is what has lasting value throughout eternity. The condition is to abide – but in order to abide with Christ, we need to realize Christ’s presence in an act of devotion by faith, to give Him this particular situation, and to abide in communion with Him at least during this short time at this very moment. To abide with Christ ceaselessly at every moment is impossible for us, because we have to focus on certain duties, but we can at least sanctify them with a short prayer or sigh.
Moreover, Jesus emphasizes an important truth: that we need to be mindful of His words, “Without Me you can do nothing.” It means that we can do nothing good, nothing that remains for eternity. We can do vain, wilful or bad things. We can indeed. But this is really nothing for eternity, and what is more, it is harmful for us. We are called to do the works of God, which is conditioned by our spiritual union with Jesus.
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