THE SHEEP CLING TO THE SHEPHERD

GoodNews at your Fingertips for May 10, 2023

Acts 15: 1-6/ Ps 122: 1-2. 3-4ab. 4cd-5/ Jn 15: 1-8 

The image of the vine and the branches says it all: “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” You cannot bear fruit. Totally useless, it is thrown away to be burned. 

We are the branches.  Jesus is the vine. As the sheep need to cling tightly to the shepherd for their survival, we need to cling most tightly to Jesus as branches to the vine. 

First, it is because God is the source of all our actions, thoughts, and words.  Though this is hard to understand at first, even our capacity to think can only be possible simply because the Author of life made us capable of thinking.  

Second, our fruitfulness in this world depends on our close relationship with the Master.  Otherwise, our fruitfulness is measured according to the measure of the world and not of God.  Self-fulfillment becomes what it truly is – a vain attempt to be self-absorbed while being totally empty of the love of God. 

Third, the useless, withered branch, cut off from the vine, is left to die and thrown into the fire to be burnt.  Despite the many things that we have accomplished given our length of stay on earth, we haven’t done anything because we haven’t done what the Master wanted us to do in this world. 

Only on our dependence on God could we find ourselves alive.