From Whom All Good Things Come

Gospel
10 May 2009
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Jn 15:1-8

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 every one 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.”

***

By Quinito Sanchez

To begin this reflection, I ask you this question: What are the signs that we look for to signify that we are living a fulfilled life? Nowadays, in our consumerist society, the common belief is that this is only attained through possessing material wealth. We have come to associate happiness in life with having large sums of money and living an extravagant lifestyle or the good life. However, will these make us truly happy in the end? Will being able to buy the latest cellphone model, designer clothes, flashy sports cars, and the biggest houses be enough make us feel fulfilled in the end? More often than not, this is not the case. In fact, instead of giving us peace of mind, they can make us feel worried and fearful for the future. One need not look far for examples. In the United States, many families are in danger of losing their homes because they are unable to pay off the loans they obtained to be able to buy them. Also, many of us are finding it difficult to make ends meet because of the ongoing financial crisis. As a result, we have had to make changes in our lifestyles in order to cope. And this still isn’t enough because we are fearful as to what the future might bring. Some might lose their job and others might not be able to go to school anymore.

In this Gospel, Jesus tells us and his disciples that we only need to remain faithful to Him and His Word to feel fulfilled in life. We should not think about whether or not we have enough of this or that, for it will only cause unwanted worry. Placing our faith in Him will be sufficient for us to get through with life’s difficulties because He is the source of everything that is good. He will give us the fortitude needed to face whatever problems we have. In the end, we will be like the branch that was pruned.