The Vine and the Branches

[tonyg]

Chapter 15: 1-8

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Jesus is telling us that he alone is our lifeline to the Father. If we choose to attach ourselves to him then we shall bear much fruit; If not we shall just wither away. Our spiritual nourishment is drawn out from he who sustains us; Jesus the Christ. May we always affix our hearts and minds on the Lord; he alone is will carry us through this life; he alone shall lead us to the Father, and our eternal salvation.

 

[nancy_dalrymple]

Hello! I could not but wonder when i saw your title, as i once had 2 green book’s called The True Vine BY ReV. Hugh Mc Millin Did you ever come accross these book’s? I let my sister keeper of those book’s and never saw them ever again. He wrote with such simplicity, such love and he almost could paint a picture in words,of the thing’s he was talking about.It was all inspireing about God and Adam and Eve How it all started but done with such passion. I’m not much on book’s except the bible but i’d give my right hand just to have another book from his collection. I know i am off subject But in case some book worm comes along, they might be able to steer me in the right direction. Jesus is the vine and we are the Branches and when we become the children of God’s He can weave us into the branches and we become a famliy belonging to the true Blood of the Lord, His inheritance,His people. Love of Christ Nancy

 

[teachccd]

Chapter 15: 1-8

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Jesus is telling us that he alone is our lifeline to the Father. If we choose to attach ourselves to him then we shall bear much fruit; If not we shall just wither away. Our spiritual nourishment is drawn out from he who sustains us; Jesus the Christ. May we always affix our hearts and minds on the Lord; he alone is will carry us through this life; he alone shall lead us to the Father, and our eternal salvation.

Amen to that!!

 

[Joe_Kelley]

If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

I am reminded of the sister who recently claimed that her order was moving beyond Jesus. Sounds like He expected that of some.

 

[puzzleannie]

we used to live in the country, and the previous owner had a big garden, lots of fruit trees, berries and grape vines. An elderly Italian neighbor showed me how and when to prune the grapes (Candlemas) “as if you were attacking your worst enemy” he said. He had me literally cut them back to the main vines and the first year we practically filled a dumpster with old vines, because they had overgrown. We had a bumper crop in the fall, the largest most lucious concord grapes I have ever tasted, and he said that for several years the grapes had been few, shrivelled, and not tasty, so he was glad we had decided to care for the vines. His wife taught me to make jelly, and he took some for wine.

For some reason God has listened to this old guy because that seems to be the way he prunes me, in the coldest, darkest most miserable time of the year, and if he is cutting deep right into my soul.

 

[PJM]

=tonyg;5183542]Chapter 15: 1-8

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

Apart from God WE (all of us) can do nothing. We rely on “The Vine” for our very lives.

{QUOTE]“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. **This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, **showing yourselves to be my disciples.

This verse speaks precisely to why we were Created and what our primary function is. To know, love and serve God in this life thatwe find eternal happiness with Him in the next.

Jesus is telling us that he alone is our lifeline to the Father. If we choose to attach ourselves to him then we shall bear much fruit; If not we shall just wither away. Our spiritual nourishment is drawn out from he who sustains us; Jesus the Christ. May we always affix our hearts and minds on the Lord; he alone is will carry us through this life; he alone shall lead us to the Father, and our eternal salvation.

Amen! But we need to follow the instructions that came with us… Follow His Church and His Bible and His Pope! A:thumbsup:men

 

[jpy15026]

Jesus says to “remain in Him” eight times!
*
*
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it *remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain *in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him 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."

The big question is "What does it mean to “remain in me”?

”Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood* remains* in me and I in him.”( John 6:56)
.

 

[Jehuty_X]

Chapter 15: 1-8

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Jesus is telling us that he alone is our lifeline to the Father. If we choose to attach ourselves to him then we shall bear much fruit; If not we shall just wither away. Our spiritual nourishment is drawn out from he who sustains us; Jesus the Christ. May we always affix our hearts and minds on the Lord; he alone is will carry us through this life; he alone shall lead us to the Father, and our eternal salvation.

// one of my favorite quotes (it’s in my signature in castillian)…

 

[cheeto1]

Jesus says to “remain in Him” eight times!

The big question is "What does it mean to “remain in me”?

.

Oh! Pick me! To be “in Christ” means to have faith in Jesus and follow His
commands. If you feel like reading about it from now until doomsday, read
the thread called What does it mean to abide in Christ?

 

[tonyg]

Oh! Pick me! To be “in Christ” means to have faith in Jesus and follow His
commands. If you feel like reading about it from now until doomsday, read
the thread called What does it mean to abide in Christ?

Jesus is the center of our universe, without him the goodness of humanity could not exit. He fills our hearts with true joy, peace, love, and the wisdom to understand the true meaning of life; to love our God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

 

[hvadney]

For those of you who are interested, the “Prince of Theologians”, St Bonaventure, wrote a beautiful reflective theological treatise on the mystical vine. You may want to have a look at it.

 

[joseph_vas]

Gospel John 15:7-17 Abiding in Jesus Love.
Spontaneous expression of compassion is visible in the societies we live .
Helping other person is a Christian ideal but is now practiced by all because it is a natural outcome of a tendency placed in us by God himself.
Only when man/woman becomes selfish greedy, hard hearted and revengeful will this natural tendency die. That is what we notice in societies where religious fanaticism and fundamentalist groupism has taken root and people have begun to hate each other, kill each other and spread rumors about each others belief.
All the three readings which we have so very personally paid attention to in this Eucharist, are the experience of the early Christians, which has been handed over to us to experience their sensitiveness to love experience.
When Jesus was living he showed those who followed him, how to love, by his personal example of sacrificial love and death on the cross, which would give life to all who followed him later.
The personal sacrificial expressive love of Jesus could not be hidden. He could very personally propose his own life experience to us to follow.
But it is not easy to live Jesus example.
We know though we may wish to follow it, the present world is placing hurdles in our attempt to live this, by placing temptations of power, money, worldly pleasures and fame, which are so easy to have and thus forget the need to be at the service of others. The greed in man/woman is so great it hides in various needs of the person.
The society, the family units are not able live the ideals set down by Jesus because each one is trying to be self sufficient and prosperous by amassing the wealth which has become more prominent than the sacrificial love.
We have received much from Jesus, while calling us his friends he gives us a new identity. He is making us God’s children, and his brothers and sisters. What a privilege it is for us to belong to this community of believers, who live God’s goodness in their lives and embrace all who are their neighbors.
As I mentioned earlier it is not easy for us to live our lives uncontaminated because we live in a society which is flooded by all that happens in this world. No one can live as an island.
We see the Christian countries turning away from Christian beliefs because of the challenge it places on them and the demands it makes on them.
People have stopped going to church, stopped practicing their religious duties because these do not give them that peace which Jesus had promised because they have been seeking the pleasures of this world.
We see how the Eastern Religious leaders have gone abroad and gained members for their faith.
The developed countries often have some how lost their prominence in religious ideals. The families in the developed countries have broken. Morals have been devalued and ideals have been lost.
The poor people try to ape discarded value system and civilization of the developed countries, blindly and fall into the pitfalls which they had left behind. What a vicious circle we are hedged in???
Jesus today challenges us to be concerned about the other.
He asks us to be sensitive to the needs of the other.
The test of living this ideal is Love.
How difficult it is for us to practice this in this modern world???
In a recent path breaking statement the CBCI had given a clarion call to all our Christian institutions to give first preference to Christian students; can we honestly say that has this directive been implemented?
Often even some institutions who try to implement this; there are no children who avail this opportunity because no sufficient announcements have been made.
Often inferiority complex in the Christian children is also the cause not availing this facility. We will have to deal with it jointly as one community of believers who want to empower the poorest of the poor.
We will have to make a soul searching examination of our conscience about our own lives, and thus rectify the many sins we have been committing by commission and omission.
The readings of today challenge each one of us to be authentic Chirstians to live our belief as authentic witness of truth we have inherited.

Our lives will change decisively when we opt for this difficult option.

Wishing all the Christians a very nice Sunday

Yours ever in the divine word,
Fr. Joseph vas svd

 

[tonyg]

Gospel John 15:7-17 Abiding in Jesus Love.
Spontaneous expression of compassion is visible in the societies we live .
Helping other person is a Christian ideal but is now practiced by all because it is a natural outcome of a tendency placed in us by God himself.
Only when man/woman becomes selfish greedy, hard hearted and revengeful will this natural tendency die. That is what we notice in societies where religious fanaticism and fundamentalist groupism has taken root and people have begun to hate each other, kill each other and spread rumors about each others belief.
All the three readings which we have so very personally paid attention to in this Eucharist, are the experience of the early Christians, which has been handed over to us to experience their sensitiveness to love experience.
When Jesus was living he showed those who followed him, how to love, by his personal example of sacrificial love and death on the cross, which would give life to all who followed him later.
The personal sacrificial expressive love of Jesus could not be hidden. He could very personally propose his own life experience to us to follow.
But it is not easy to live Jesus example.
We know though we may wish to follow it, the present world is placing hurdles in our attempt to live this, by placing temptations of power, money, worldly pleasures and fame, which are so easy to have and thus forget the need to be at the service of others. The greed in man/woman is so great it hides in various needs of the person.
The society, the family units are not able live the ideals set down by Jesus because each one is trying to be self sufficient and prosperous by amassing the wealth which has become more prominent than the sacrificial love.
We have received much from Jesus, while calling us his friends he gives us a new identity. He is making us God’s children, and his brothers and sisters. What a privilege it is for us to belong to this community of believers, who live God’s goodness in their lives and embrace all who are their neighbors.
As I mentioned earlier it is not easy for us to live our lives uncontaminated because we live in a society which is flooded by all that happens in this world. No one can live as an island.
We see the Christian countries turning away from Christian beliefs because of the challenge it places on them and the demands it makes on them.
People have stopped going to church, stopped practicing their religious duties because these do not give them that peace which Jesus had promised because they have been seeking the pleasures of this world.
We see how the Eastern Religious leaders have gone abroad and gained members for their faith.
The developed countries often have some how lost their prominence in religious ideals. The families in the developed countries have broken. Morals have been devalued and ideals have been lost.
The poor people try to ape discarded value system and civilization of the developed countries, blindly and fall into the pitfalls which they had left behind. What a vicious circle we are hedged in???
Jesus today challenges us to be concerned about the other.
He asks us to be sensitive to the needs of the other.
The test of living this ideal is Love.
How difficult it is for us to practice this in this modern world???
In a recent path breaking statement the CBCI had given a clarion call to all our Christian institutions to give first preference to Christian students; can we honestly say that has this directive been implemented?
Often even some institutions who try to implement this; there are no children who avail this opportunity because no sufficient announcements have been made.
Often inferiority complex in the Christian children is also the cause not availing this facility. We will have to deal with it jointly as one community of believers who want to empower the poorest of the poor.
We will have to make a soul searching examination of our conscience about our own lives, and thus rectify the many sins we have been committing by commission and omission.
The readings of today challenge each one of us to be authentic Chirstians to live our belief as authentic witness of truth we have inherited.

Our lives will change decisively when we opt for this difficult option.

Wishing all the Christians a very nice Sunday

Yours ever in the divine word,
Fr. Joseph vas svd

Father Joseph
Thank you for responding to the tread. Information is the key to understanding; you have given us much to think about. God Bless, Tony

 

[NHInsider]

Hello! I could not but wonder when i saw your title, as i once had 2 green book’s called The True Vine BY ReV. Hugh Mc Millin Did you ever come accross these book’s? I let my sister keeper of those book’s and never saw them ever again. He wrote with such simplicity, such love and he almost could paint a picture in words,of the thing’s he was talking about.It was all inspireing about God and Adam and Eve How it all started but done with such passion. I’m not much on book’s except the bible but i’d give my right hand just to have another book from his collection.

Nancy-
there are a couple of reprint copies available from on-line booksellers in the $20-35 range, also it is now available from a print-on-demand house. First editions are about $50.

try addall.com, click “used books” and then search . . .

 

[LUKBAN]

Once in a while I use this passage (the Vine and the Branches) in conjunction with the Letter of St. James to defend my catholic faith when being confronted by a diehard believer in the Protestant doctrine of “sola fide” - that we are saved by grace through faith alone and not by good work. Though not all noncatholic christians believe that way. We christians are all branches that subsist on the mystical body of Christ (The Vine).My understanding of this scriptural passage is that our faith in Jesus Christ must be a faith of action (productive) to remain connected to the Vine. Similarly, St. James says that faith without good work is like a body without a soul. In 1997 during the Catholic Evangelization Weekend in Dallas, TX in a Dialogue between a Protestant Minister and Dr. Scott Hahn (Theology Professor ) on Justification the Protestant Minister stated that we are saved by grace through faith and unto good work. In other words if I understood it right,our faith must achieve the purpose of life for which we were created - to worship, love and glorify God and to love and respect our neighbors. Pruning the branch in my understanding is like a trial to strenghten and guide our faith toward righteousness (mental, physical or spiritual). A branch that becomes very bushy and growing wild seldom produce quality fruits and need to be pruned or soon this branch will break when storm comes. Sometimes our life need some pruning in order to put our acts together.

 

[joseph_vas]

Father Joseph
Thank you for responding to the tread. Information is the key to understanding; you have given us much to think about. God Bless, Tony

dear Tony,
our lives united with the lord are most unique because he has chosen us to be his.
Our identity as Christians is a unique realty.
Some how the religious affinity to Christianity is the highest in the world though the number is decreasing due to many reasons.one being is social welbeing. only when human being is in need of physical assitance does the reason to seek help become very prominent.
But it is also true the way people live the religious commitment has become very fragile due to globalization and other religious beliefs and ideologies are becoming rampant in gaining control of people who want to follow some ideal in their lives but even this does not give that peace which is the Peace which only Jesus gives as he did to his discipels in is discourse…
Because of the situation as it stands when we read many churches in Europe and America and Canada are becoming empty. but Jesus warning that many will desert his teaching but we have not to be dicouraged. it is he who will see the ultimate victory.
I have to sit back and see what is the level of my standing as Chirstians in my own community and nation?
Can i honestly say my commitment to the Lord is like that of Saul when he got converted or when he found him on the way to Tarsus?
We have to answer these questions in the quietness of our hearts.
Testimony of the early church and these have to encourage us in our way of living our faith in our daily lives.
Only when we live our faith meaningfully will we be able to give a worthwhile testimony to our Christian commitment, like, the early Christians.
The vine and its brances is a wonderful parable of life. Jesus is familiar with the growth of vine and the creeper which grows in such abundance there in and around the villages where he and his followers used to travel.
Jesus when he uses a simile of the vine to show how one vine when it is trimmed to grow and bear abundant fruit behaves. When a vine is trimmed at a proper season it shows it’s liveliness by blooming so very naturally.
Unless the creeper is pruned the growth becomes stunted, it might have lots of leaves but no fruit because it was not trimmed in time to bear fruit.
Only when the vine is trimmed in time will it shoot more branches and these branches will also be productive and fruitful.
The growth and the vine getting laden with plenty of fruit is so good to see.
Jesus uses also the simile of the branches that are pruned and thrown away.
These branches become useless, just good for nothing but for burning.
we know many arguements have made many to leave the christian fold to form their own community but that too become lifeless and unproductive and helpless. there is a eastern saying united we stand dvided we fall. same thing is trure of the chopped branch which does nto have the necessary sap it requires to grow.
They cannot be for any other purpose.
So our lives too if it is not united to the life of the Risen Christ it becomes useless. The sinful conditions in our lives have to be pruned so that our life becomes meaningful.
The continuation of Christ’s saying that “I AM” the vine and you are the branches is so powerful way of saying that Jesus is the one who gives the reason for our lives.
Once we are united to this “I AM” who is Jesus, we become the reality for which we are created.
What a privilege it is for all of us to be one with the Lord.
Wishing all of you a very nice unity with the lord to be fruitfull in plenty.
Yours in the divine word,
Fr. Juze

 

[RonTheNewJew]

Jesus (Yeshua Hamaschiach), the “Jewish Messiah” is here trying to communicate to all of us what our forefathers missed: That they were to share the Covenant with all nations that surrounded them, but since they chose selfishness and false pride over meekness and true holy living according to the Covenant (Torah), He (Jesus) came to earth to open up the Gospel, which existed while He was yet here on earth and beforehand as well, to the entire world. When He did this, He did not change any aspect of the Law and the Prophets in order to cause outsiders to join the religion He gave to the ethnic Jewish people at Mt. Sinai where the Covenant was given to Moses.

Through the unchanging “Word that became flesh and dwealt among us,” we, the Goyim who were spiritually outsiders–having been born into other peoples who were not given the Covenant and the Laws and Statutes and Judgements; the whole religion and religious calendar that explains how to keep the Ten Commandments as the pre-incarnate Christ intended and intends today, were allowed into the “Covenant relationship” with God the Father through His now sacrificed Son who now administers His own blood in the Most Holy Place in the heavenly Sanctuary. He is the High Priest now.

Thus, we who believe in the one and only, from everlasting to everlasting, Yeshua the Ha_Meschiach (Jesus, the Christ, the Savior), now should follow the Mosaic Law, but without any form of sacrifice because His sacrifice was once, and permanent. We should not follow the Temple rituals, or do animal sacrifices, since Type met anti-type at the Cross. But, by the same token, if we keep the full, unchanged Ten Commandments, plus the annual sabbaths at their God-appointed times, and the yearly Festivals of the Lord your God at the times that the Jews do, the times appointed by God the Son whose Voice it was that Moses heard speak to him the Laws, Statutes and Judgements, then when He returns to this earth, He will gather up His Commandment keeping children.

Jesus said, according to what is known as the “Received Scriptures”: "Here are they who keep the Commandments of God and have the faith and testimony of Yeshua Ha-Maschiach (Jesus, the Messiah) To others He will say, “Many will come forth saying, Lord, Lord, did we not do many wonders and prophecy in Your Name?” He then said, “I will say to them: Depart from Me you who work lawlessness. For, I never knew you.”
Jesus is there saying that He honors the Laws, Statutes and Judgements of the only Salvational Covenant that He ever gave to anyone.

What is meant is that He is the Olive Tree, the same Olive Tree of whom He spoke when talking with the Samaritan woman at the well, when He told her “for, verily, I say unto you, salvation is of the Jews.” His entire purpose on earth was to give the same religion, religious calendar with the great spiritual messages (beautiful love messages) contained in the Law of Moses that He gave to Moses. When we become Chrsitians, we, by simple proxy, become followers of the Ten Commandments, written by His own finger, and the Laws, Statutes and Judements, which includes everything including the annual Feasts and all the Sabbaths, headed by the fourth Commandment, the seventh-day Sabbath as taught by Christ, Paul and the rest of the Apostles after Christ’s ascension.

They are now both, remembrances of the deliverance from Egyptian bondage, remembrances of Christ’s once and for all and all time sacrifice for us, and prophecies, yet unfulfilled, of events that will occur in the near future. The “Jewish” Feasts of the Lord will be kept in Heaven and the New Earth at Jerusalem. But there will be no animalo sacrifices, grain and wheat offerings, and the many rituals that surrounded the animal sacrificial, pre-Christ, Temple services. Outside of the sacrificial system, there is only one God-ordained religion. Not many on earth follow what Christ, Himsefl, set up for our blessing: the blessing of eternal salvation. Not earthly riches or fame.

Yeshua’s blessings be upon all who hear His word and follow His Commandments. He said he is a jealous God. He was and is Jesus Christ.

RonTheNewJew