GOSPEL
Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company Inc.
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more. You are pruned already, by means of the word that I have spoken to you. Make your home in me as I make mine in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me, and I in them, bear fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; these branches are collected and thrown on the fire, and they are burnt. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it. It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples.’
(John 15:1–8)
DID YOU KNOW?
Points of interest and Catholic lore
- The vineyard was one of the ancient images of the people of Israel, God’s chosen people, and God is the vinedresser.
- In John’s Gospel, the term ‘I am’ has a special significance. When Moses encountered God on Mount Sinai, God revealed himself as ‘I am who am.’ Jesus reveals himself as Son of God in the use of this term and tells something of his mission: I am the Living Water; I am the Good Shepherd; I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; I am the Light of the World; I am the Bread of Life.
EXPLORING THE WORD
Jesus continues to speak to the disciples through imagery that they understood from their everyday experience and with symbols that come from their Jewish tradition. The vine is a staple part of Israel’s agricultural life. It carries the idea of the life that flows into the branches from the thick stalk of the vine. Jesus becomes that giver of life and prosperity, but behind his life-giving presence is the Father. Like the vinedresser, the Father must cut away anything that impedes that life or comes from a source that is not nourished from the ‘true vine’. Jesus exists to make the Father known, and so it must be with disciples of Jesus. We must ‘remain with’ Jesus and thus make the Father known.
- Discuss the ways in which you cultivate and keep healthy your connection to Jesus. Who or what helps you do this?
- How may you continue with this after the period of mystagogy?
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Opportunities for group discussion and personal prayer
- ‘Cut off from me you can do nothing.’ How are you connected to Christ?
- In what ways are you connected to all the other ‘branches’ who are the followers of Christ?
- What has been pruned from you?
- What fruit do you bear?
- ‘You are pruned already by means of the word I have spoken to you.’ Words can be powerful weapons both for healing and hurting. Share experiences of times when words have harmed or healed.
- Offer hospitality this week, not in the sense of offering food or drink but in making someone feel ‘at home’, secure and accepted.
- Today’s gospel acclamation makes a suitable prayer for the week:
Live in me and let me live in you, says the Lord.
My branches bear much fruit.
SHARING THE TRADITION
A closer look at the Scripture of the day, to see how it makes more explicit God’s word to us through the teachings of Jesus Christ
We continue the examination of the eucharistic prayer of the liturgy.
- Read the memorial prayer. This calls to mind Jesus’ death and resurrection and links us with those events in our present time. In what ways are we called to stand in God’s presence? How can we do this outside the liturgy?
- Read the invocation of the Spirit. In what ways are you aware of the Spirit present in the Church and the world?
- Read the intercessions. At every Eucharist, we stand before God as his people and intercede for the Church and its pastors, for the world, for those who have died and for ourselves. We entrust our needs and the needs of all creation to God’s saving power. These prayers are made in union with Mary and with all the saints. These prayers of intercession recognise that our good is bound up with the good of all. We are called to stand in solidarity with all members of the human family and with earth and all living creatures.
- Talk about ways in which suffering, poverty and the degradation of our planet diminish us all. How can we commit ourselves to the service of the world?
SYMBOLS AND IMAGES
‘Make your home in me.’ Jesus invites his disciples to place complete trust in him and not be distracted by the cares of the world. Being ‘at home’ is a powerful image appealing to the desire of all people for acceptance, love and security. Even if our lives are troubled, in Jesus we can always be secure and at peace.
LIVING THE WORD
Practical ideas for group leaders to employ in connecting Scripture and daily life, with suggestions for music and environment
- How is your community a sign of unity between those who are members and the broader community of the Church? Are there people in your local area with whom you can build better unity? In what ways does your community stand in solidarity with other humans and with the earth?
- Again, this session has been a prayerful reflection. Conclude simply with the Lord’s Prayer and an Easter song.