Bear Fruit

Acts15:1-6
John 15:1-8

What is growing in your heart? Are you still finding it difficult to attain peace of mind and heart after yesterday’s gospel passage in which Jesus offers us the gift of peace?What about today’s gospel?The Church in her wisdom offers us yet another opportunity to listen to Jesus who says to his disciples today, “I am the Vine. You are the branches…make your home in me, as I make mine in you”.

The Vine was one of the quintessential plants in Israel representing national peace and prosperity. Israel is also seen as a Vineyard. In the Song of the Vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7), the vineyard is the “house of Israel”-yielding only the bad fruit of injustice and oppression. But on the Day of the Messiah, this vineyard will flourish: The Psalms, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Micah all use the figure of Israel as the Lord’s vineyard. Jesus Himself carried on this identification of Israel as God’s vineyard in his Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-44; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19) and Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16).

In today’s first reading, we see a tension that threatens the unity of Christians and they were able to resolve the problem through prayers and wisdom. Our faith and love should always bound us together with the mystical body of Christ. Encourage those who do good works like Barnabas and keep living the Word of God and let the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit shine forth in you.

The Lord is eagerly waiting for us to accept Him into our hearts but our sins and fears cut us off from him-the vine; making us lose the spiritual and physical nourishment that keeps the body and soul together in our Christian pilgrimage. Let us allow the Spirit of God to prune and shape us according to His will.

Fr Joseph Osho