THE DEEP END – BOUND TOGETHER (5th Sunday of Easter)
Have you ever visited a vineyard, with its rows of vines, heavy with clusters of ripe grapes? If you’re not familiar with vines, think of an apple tree laden with apples, or a fruit bush ripe for picking. In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine to describe his relationship with his disciples. He tells them that he is the vine, and they are the branches. The life of Jesus flows into us and sustains us, and this is the reason our lives can bear fruit in love, in kindness, patience, compassion and welcome.
The symbolism of the vine works on many levels. If a branch is separated from the vine, it cannot flourish on its own. It must be connected to the vine from which it gets nourishment. Each of us must be firmly rooted in Jesus and nourish that relationship. He invites us to ‘remain’ in him – to rest in him, to be part of him. And if you look at a vine plant, often its branches are so entangled, it can be hard to know where one ends and another begins. We note that Jesus is addressing the disciples as a group rather than as individuals: ‘you are the branches’. We are a community, and we grow together, bound together by the love of God.
Today, we reflect on what it means to be so intimately connected with Jesus, the true vine. We bring to mind the many gifts he has given us, and the ways in which his love bears fruit in our lives.
Tríona Doherty, Intercom May 2021
