My Dear Friends,
How beautiful to behold (finally) the blossoming trees, the forsythia bushes, the new light green buds brightening the horizon on the blue sky! Spring is here.
The Lord has chosen to gift us with this beauty… but also to invite us to focus on the image of the Vine and the Branches in today’s Gospel. A few weeks ago Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples; it was His last meal with them before His passion and death on the cross. During the meal He wanted to express to them the depth of the relationship He had with them. He washed their feet; He spoke of unity and love (how they were to love one another the way He loved them).
On the way to the Garden of Olives He found the perfect symbol for the bond He felt with them. He stopped by a vine and said, “See this vine. See the bond that exists between the vine and its branches. That’s how it is between Me and you. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain attached to Me, you will produce much fruit. If you cut yourselves off from Me, you will wither and die”.
This is exactly the relationship the Lord wants with us; He is the life-giving vine, the source of life for us. We are the branches, each of us a little different but part of the whole. We receive nourishment and sustenance, life and love from the VINE and in turn give the same to one another. We are in a relationship, we are family, we are community… we are Church.
Do people look at us and know who we are, see what and Who we represent?
Remember the lyrics from years ago?
“They will know we are Christians by our LOVE”….