Sunday April 27th “I am the vine, you are the branches”

In John’s Gospel, Jesus makes seven statements beginning, “I am…”  “I am the bread of life…the light of the world…the gate…the good shepherd…the resurrection and the life…the way and the truth and the life” and today we heard, “I am the true vine.”  All these statements help us to understand who Jesus is and what he offers us.

The vine is a wonderful image of the Kingdom of God: it is something that starts out small but then grows massively with many branches springing out from the first root and then bearing much fruit.  At Hampton Court there is a massive grapevine that is 1,000 years old and bears tons of fruit each year.  The Church is 1,000 years older than this!

But Jesus also says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.”  We are called to extend the Kingdom of God and bear fruit.  And he warns us, “…cut off from me you can do nothing.”  We are called to “remain”, and we do this through prayer, regular attendance at Mass and receiving the Sacraments.

The vine is also a good image of a healthy parish.  We are all branches that have sprung from the true vine of Jesus, and as we work and grow together we will bear much fruit.  In the next few weeks I am going to push on with some of the parish plans we prayed about before Easter.  

God Bless,

Fr Kevin