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Rome (Italy), Prof. Yolanda Valero, April 28th 2024.-‘Remains in me, and you will bear much fruit."

OPENING PRAYER

Let us begin this Lectio Divina, joining the universal Church with the collect prayer of this day's liturgy: 'O God, who inserted us into Christ as branches of the true vine, confirm us in your Spirit, so that by loving one another we may be the first fruits of a new humanity, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.'

GOSPEL

 John 15, 1-8 

«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 he prunes everyone that does so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in them will bear much fruit because, without me, you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire, and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want, and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples».

CONTEXT

The Gospel of John concentrates most of Jesus' teachings to the disciples in chapters 13 to 17, during the Last Supper. Today's text is presented with a metaphor/allegory; Jesus uses this image, which we can all understand, to make us know that any branch that detaches from its trunk ends up dying. Hence, it must be united to him, from whom we receive the sap that gives our life, because otherwise, we would wither. Thus, through the verb 'remain,' repeated several times, Jesus makes it clear that the relationship's dominant attitude with Him is fidelity to His love, remaining united to His life and mission.

Old Testament tradition frequently uses this image of the vineyard, a group of vines, to indicate the people of Israel, the object of God's attentive care (Ps 80; Is 5:1-7; Jer 2:21; Ez 19,10-12), but in the end it did not bear fruit. Jesus, on the other hand, speaks of himself as the 'true vine,' a single plant with a single trunk and from it, many branches sprouting: He is the vine, and we are the branches, in which the dream of God can finally become true: the expected fruit, loving obedience, arrives in Jesus and bears fruit in abundance! This is a beautiful image of unity, communion, and, at the same time, fertility because the branches spread quickly in many directions, but all start from a single branch that infuses the blood of life.

For people, remaining means actively clinging to what was done in the past, understanding it in the present, and seeing the future based on it. On the other hand, for God or Jesus, remaining expresses the stability of the gifts of salvation granted to believers. With fidelity, the believer unites, without danger of doubt, their life to Christ, to whom the gifts of God are granted forever. This fidelity also implies a path of conversion, allowing oneself to be pruned, and of faith to continually grow and bear fruit.

Jesus said: 'I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower,' the Gospel of John often begins his words of revelation by saying 'I am' (Ex 3,14). Jesus uses it absolutely, saying 'I Am' or specified by an attribute: I am the bread of life (Jn 6.35), I am the light (Jn 8.12), I am the good shepherd (Jn 10.11), I am the way, the truth, and life (Jn 14:6) and in this last metaphor: 'I am the true vine.' Jesus presents himself as the true vine, but he also involves the Father and all of us, speaking of the relationship between us and him, and him with the Father. We are its branches, well grafted into the plant but in need of pruning, which is done directly by the Father, in his infinite love and mercy.

The key to bearing fruit is union with Jesus, 'being in him,' and 'remaining with him.' Let us ask ourselves in silence: What does it mean for me to remain in Jesus? What meaning does the « I am» of Jesus have in my life?

INTERIORIZATION

The vine and the branches have the same sap and life, and only in this unity with the branch can it produce much fruit. So if we are not effectively united to Jesus with the same life, with the same sap, the same Spirit, with the same love that he has, we are dry, infertile, and dead. The center of our life as believers and of all our actions is to remain in Jesus, to be united to him, because each one produces according to what they are: if they are united to Christ, they produce many fruits like him.

Bearing fruit symbolizes possessing divine life, which implies growing in union with Jesus, without forgetting that this bearing fruit also requires the communication of life to others since the Christian life is communion and commitment. Therefore, it is not enough to be a Christian or to believe in Jesus or even love him; we must produce fruit, that is, love our neighbor. If you do not concretely love your neighbor, you do not love the Lord who gave his life for his brothers and sisters. Without this fraternal love, one can be baptized and be a dead branch that must be cut. In other words, a fruitless Christian is a Christian in name and not in fact.     

• Will I disappoint the Father's expectation, who cultivates, cleanses, fertilizes, and protects me daily so that I may bear fruit in abundance?
• To whom do I give the fruits of my existence, heart, mind, and soul?
• Who am I for, for whom do I decide and choose to live daily, every morning when I wake up?

LET US ASK AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO US

A concrete way to remain in Jesus is to listen to his words. If we do this, then whatever we want, ask for it, and it will happen. Thus, prayer first understands that his words dwell in me, then wanting what I have understood, and finally asking for what I want. By remaining with Jesus and obeying his obedience, the believer does not fear the future because they know that their prayer, formulated according to their understanding of divine intentions, will undoubtedly be heard and granted.

Let us unite as a community of disciples in prayer and ask Him in faith:
Lord, I still have within me all the light of your Word; all the power of your voice still resonates in the depths of my being! Thank you, Jesus, for being my Vine, the sap of my soul; Thank you for being my home, in which I can and wish to remain; Thank you, my teacher! You have called me to be a fruitful branch, the fruit of your love for my brothers and sisters, and a wine that brightens all existence; amen.

CONTEMPLATION IN ACTION

What concrete action do I commit to taking from today due to this reflection?