for May 13
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

The vine and the branches as described by Jesus in today’s Gospel passage is my favorite image in the Bible. It resonates with me as a powerful, moving metaphor for our relationship with God, with one another, and with all creation. Vines grow in many climates but are a particularly noticeable feature of hot, dry ones, such as that of Palestine, that do not support trees well. Unlike a tree, a vine is clearly differentiated between its stem and its branches. Each branch grows directly out of the stem and the whole structure becomes covered by the leaves, flowers, and fruit it produces.

These characteristics illustrate how Christ is alive in the world. Jesus was planted in the created world by the Father, the vine grower. Human beings are the branches, materially part of creation but animated by the Spirit that flows through Jesus into each one of us. We the branches are created to be fruitful and will stop bearing fruit if separated from the vine. At the same time, it is the branches, not the vine itself, that bear fruit. While Jesus was incarnate, he bore his own fruit, healing, forgiving, and teaching. Now that mission will pass to his disciples. It will be the work of their hands to build the Kingdom, but the Spirit that brings their efforts to fruition comes through their remaining in communion with the Risen Christ.

Through this earthy, life-giving image, Jesus is assuring his disciples of his continued active presence among them after his death and resurrection. He is also reminding them that the everyday material world is made holy by God’s Spirit dwelling in it. We too are branches on the vine, called to live out of the Spirit that makes all things holy, to respect God’s creation by being good stewards of it, and to bring God’s love to and serve the needs of our fellow human beings. These are the fruits that glorify the vine grower.

An aspect of the vine and the branches is the unity of its various parts. The Spirit animates each individual and draws them all into a whole. In this sense the image is a metaphor of the Church unified as the people of God, and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost did bring unity. Today’s reading from the Book of Acts tells of the first significant challenge to that unity. Paul and Barnabas’s success in converting Gentiles triggered a debate as to whether those converts to Christianity also had to become Jewish and follow the Law, particularly with regard to circumcision. This led to the Council of Jerusalem, the first Church council, at which the issue was debated at length. It is noteworthy that although the differing opinions were strong, the unity held in that all sides agreed to discuss them. The readings skip over the council itself, but in a couple of days we’ll read the outcome. Unity prevailed.

The willingness of the early Church leaders to hear one another out and come to an agreement is perhaps an aspect of the pruning Jesus talks about. To live in the Spirit with others is to give up some of what we want for the common good. Today as we are learning to function in a changed world, uncertain what the future will bring, we might look to this early crisis in the Church as a model. Conflict is growing about how to move forward. Instead of talking if not shouting at each other, we might listen as well as talk and accept that the most equitable choice is not necessarily what we personally prefer. The branches are all connected through the vine. If we neglect any of them, we are diminishing all of us and the whole glorious plant as well.
—Christine Szczepanowski

The readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website.