BEAR FRUIT
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April 27, 2024One of the distinctive aspects of John's Gospel is that, although it doesn't contain the words of the Institution of the Eucharist, “This is my Body… This is my Blood,” he gives us a lengthy account of the other things that Jesus said to the disciples at the Last Supper. It is commonly called the Farewell Discourse or the Last Supper Discourse. The readings of the Easter Season typically come from this material. This weekend, we have the analogy of the vine and the branches.
“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.” (Jn 15, 1-2)
We remember that this analogy is said during the Last Supper of Jesus where there were bread and wine, which he eventually referred to as his Body and Blood. We infer that the vine he speaks of is not just any kind of vine but a grapevine, and the fruit that he speaks of is grape. This Eucharistic context is important to be considered in our reflection. For the branches to remain alive and be able to bear fruit, they need to receive nourishment from the vine. In order for us, disciples of Christ, to have life and bear fruit, we need to receive nourishment from Jesus. Did he not say, “Amen, amen I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you?” (Jn. 6, 53)
Then Jesus describes two kinds of branches: the fruitless branches and the fruitful branches. He says that those who do not bear fruit will be thrown into a fire, and they will be burned. We know that whenever Jesus uses the imagery of fire, he refers to the fire of Gehenna (the abode of the damned in the afterlife in Jewish and Christian eschatology). He reminds his disciples that those who do not remain in him and do not bear fruit, they will be cut off and be thrown into the fire. How do we remain in Jesus? “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” (Jn. 15, 10). In effect, those who do not obey his commandments do not remain in him. They will be thrown into the fire of Gehenna.
We see here the intimate and necessary connection between coming to the Eucharist and fulfilling the commands of the Lord. Keeping our Sunday holy is not just one among the many commandments; it is The Commandment that allows us to obey all other commands of the Lord. Our Catechism says, “The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin” (CCC 2181). The language of committing a grave sin is not “a threat to compel” the faithful to come to mass. It is rather a strong emphasis on the indispensable necessity of the Eucharist in order to become an obedient and fruitful disciple of the Lord.
“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.” (Jn. 15, 5) This is a beautiful image of the life of Christian discipleship. For anyone who is engaged in the work of evangelization, whether at home (parents), in the Church (religious leaders and volunteers), or in the missions (lay missionaries), it is absolutely necessary to come to the Eucharist and receive nourishment and sustenance from the Lord. Unless you do it in and with Christ, you will not bear any fruit for the Kingdom of God.
