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 everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Catholics recognize deep, moving teachings about the sacraments in Saint John's gospel. Although there are no explicit "words of institution" for Baptism or the Eucharist -- We hear neither "Baptize all nations!" nor "Take and eat, this is my body!" in the fourth gospel -- the relationship of Jesus and his disciples is immediate and intimate, experienced especially in eating, drinking and submersion in water. If the word spiritual suggests non-physical, it fails to comprehend this Gospel, the Sacraments or our immediate connection to Jesus. It is more than spiritual and more than physical.
Each one of us is a branch to his vine, we have life and bear fruit only if his sap flows through our bodies.
Human beings are endlessly creative; we are always planning and executing our plans. But what if all our plans come to nothing? What if my life's work fails in futility?
I understand there is a Woody Allen skit in which two men are told that our Sun will collapse and the Earth will be incinerated in the supernova several billion years from now. The sensitive gentlemen, hearing this, break down in tears? "For what?" they ask of all human endeavor. In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus travels into the underworld to find that his former friends and enemies have forgotten the fighting around Troy. The heroic struggle, the defeats and victories, the effort: nothing remains. Only Achilles can remember some of it. Must human life come to a coma with no awakening? Is dementia the end of human life?
In the face of this existential threat, we sing, "The Word of the Lord endures forever." What I create or you initiate might come to nothing but what we do in Jesus, the Word of God, endures because He lives forever. That which God creates cannot be lost; God's plan must be fulfilled.
Finding my place in the lush vine of Jesus, I realize that anything worth doing takes more than one lifetime. Announcing the Word of God, comforting the grief-stricken, healing the sick, reconciling the sinner, building the kingdom of God: these are not the accomplishments of one person unless he is the Lord.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.