Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 18, 2022
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
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.”
You’re probably expecting a reflection about vines, branches, and fruit. I get it. As soon as I read this passage, I began to hear in my mind the first verse of the hymn, We Have Been Told, “I am the vine; you are the branches, And all who live in me will bear great fruit.” But, as I sat longer with this reading, I came to focus on Jesus’ underlying message that inspires the vine, branch, and fruit imagery.
What I found is an eight-word summary for the gospel, and my new daily prayer: “Remain in me, as I remain in you.” I began to see and hear those eight words as a shorthand for all of Jesus’ teachings.
This shorthand message comes with something of a warning—“without me you can do nothing.” But there is also a promise—“if you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.”
So, peel away the vine, branch, and fruit imagery, and what I see at the core of this reading (all puns intended) is an instruction for daily Christian living.
That’s not all. Sometime after Easter, those eight words changed from something only read or heard in my mind into something spoken from the heart. I found myself repeating those eight words over-and-over, in all sorts of situations, almost like a mantra.
What I see now among the vines, branches, and fruit is not only an eight-word summary for the gospel, but also a daily prayer of supplication, a humble request: “Please, Jesus, remain in us, as we remain in you.”
Prayer
What a comfort for us to realize that we are not alone, for this day we are as connected to you as a branch is to the vine. We flourish because of you, for our vitality comes from you. Even as you prune us and things do not proceed as expected, we are comforted knowing that we will blossom in new ways. Thank you, God, for nurturing us each waking moment of our day. Let us never be parted from you. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Though he wasn’t killed outright for his faith, Pope St. John I is honored as a martyr because he died from rough treatment when he was imprisoned for standing steadfast between the maneuvers of a king and an emperor.
John was born in Tuscany in 470, and joined the Roman clergy as a young man. He was elevated to the head of the seven deacons of Rome, where he played an important role in the politics of the Church, corresponding with theologians and philosophers and helping to lead gatherings of bishops.
He was elected pope in 523, but was in frail health. King Theodoric ruled much of Italy at the time, and subscribed to Arianism—a line of thinking that held Jesus as not fully divine. He decided to send a diplomatic envoy to the emperor in Constantinople to negotiate better treatment for Arians, and made John the head of that task, against John's wishes. Theodoric threatened dire consequences for orthodox Christians if he was not successful.
John was well-received by the emperor’s court, and seemed to succeed in his mission, which bought some leniency for orthodox Christians in Italy. But when he returned, Theodoric suspected him of conspiring with the emperor and threw him in prison. John died in prison from neglect and abuse.
Relics of Pope St. John I rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
Pope St. John I, you protected Christians from a feuding king and an emperor—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Pope St. John I is in the public domain. Last accessed February 21, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.