Good Fruits

The Gospel presents another kind of imagery. Jesus is the vine, the Father is the vine-dresser and we are the branches. By this imagery, Jesus shows the unity and oneness of God with his creation. We have only one life and that is a life with God, and we have only one way to live and that is to live as children of God. Living as children of God is what being holy is all about, for as the root is holy, so are the branches (Rom 11:16). God has chosen us before the foundation of the world to be holy and in order to bear fruit that will last (cf Eph 1:4; Jn 15:16).

Our closeness to Christ is not for him but for us. “For the relation of the branches to the vine is such that they contribute nothing to the vine, but from it derive their own means of life; while that of the vine to the branches is such that it supplies their vital nourishment, and receives nothing from them. And so their having Christ abiding in them, and abiding themselves in Christ, are in both respects advantageous, not to Christ, but to the disciples” (St. Augustine, Tractate 81 [John 15:4-7]). We are God’s co-workers planting in his field and building his kingdom according to the tasks assigned to each of us, and it is God who causes us to grow (cf 1 Cor 3:5-10).

Our life has to stay connected to Jesus, like branches to the vine. “He is the true vine, because the grapes he bears are the truth, the disciples are His branches, and they, also, bring forth the truth as their fruit” (Origen, Commentary on the Gospel of John). For apart from him, we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). We can do a lot of things still, but nothing that guarantees for us eternal life if we cut off ourselves from Christ. We become like dry twigs, once branches of the vine; now lying "withered and dead, a perfect image of barrenness: 'separated from me, you can do nothing' " (Escriva, Friends of God, 254).

When the roots of our life are fixed on the vine, we will bear much fruit. “The fruit referred to in this saying is the holiness of a life made fruitful by union with Christ. When we believe in Jesus Christ, partake of his mysteries, and keep his commandments, the Savior himself comes to love, in us, his Father and his brethren, our Father and our brethren. His person becomes, through the Spirit, the living and interior rule of our activity” (CCC, 2074). These are the fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity (Gal 5:22-23; CCC, 1832).

Every tree is known by its fruit (Mt 7:19, 12:23; Lk 6:44). And every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire (Mt 3:10; Lk 3:9). “The branch is suitable only for one of two things, either the vine or the fire: if it is not in the vine, its place will be in the fire; and that it may escape the latter, may it have its place in the vine” (St. Augustine, op cit).

Our role does not stop at bearing fruit. Christ continues to prune us that we may bear more fruit (Jn 15:2). The struggle for holiness continues up to the end. “If we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing” (1 Jn 1:9).

What is asked of us then is to be docile, and to allow ourselves to be cleansed, letting the Divine Sculptor chip away the rough edges of our character: our selfishness, vanity, lack of humility, sensuality, envy. Even the events that befall us – illness, setbacks, sufferings – serve to purify and unite us to the Cross of Jesus. “The cutting and pruning hurts. But what richness in your fruits” (Escriva, The Way, 701). The pruning increases our foliage, enabling us “to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God (Col 1:10).

We have all the means of staying close to the vine. Through prayer, we maintain a continuing dialogue with our God. We are pruned by he words he tells us as recorded in the Gospel (Jn 15:3). The Holy Eucharist enables us to experience his living presence within us. The sacrament of confession cleanses us of our sins and gives us the graces to re-start our life along God’s path.

Through us, God's work is multiplied and we become sowers of peace and joy in the environment where we live and among the people we meet in the course of everyday iving. We become bearers of good fruits.