Eldho Augustine csc –
Readings: Acts 15: 1-6; Jn 15: 1-8
I am the Vine; you are the branches. Apart from me you can do nothing. Jesus the true Vine is the trunk of the tree from which all of us are like branches united in Him and live by Him. He invites each of us to faithfully remain with Him. He is ever faithful to us
both in our joys and sorrows, success and failures, strengths and weaknesses.
Yet in our human weakness we often tend to rely on our strength, power, prestige and achievements and forgetting God who is above everything. The reading invites each of us to build an intimate relationship with Him, for it is solely in Him, by Him and through Him we can bear abundant fruits. The reading affirms us that if we neglect our life of faith, prayer and Word of God, we will be cut off from Him. Because apart from him we can
do nothing.
How can we be united with our Lord like a branch United with the trunk? It is a daily struggle. Cultivating the habit of daily prayer, regularly reading the scriptures, other spiritual practices and living the Gospel values will help us to abide in the Lord. This
will help us to discern God’s plan in our life and we will be able to do His will in our life.