The Lord calls himself
the vine and those united to him
branches in order to teach us how much
we shall benefit from our union with
him, and how important it is for us to
remain in his love. By receiving the
Holy Spirit, who is the bond of union
between us and Christ our Saviour, those
who are joined to him, as branches are
to a vine, share in his own nature.
On the part of those who come to the vine, their union with him depends
upon a deliberate act of the will; on
his part, the union is effected by
grace. Because we had good will, we made
the act of faith that brought us to
Christ, and received from him the
dignity of adoptive sonship that made us
his own kinsmen, according to the words
of Saint Paul: He who is joined to the
Lord is one spirit with him.
The prophet Isaiah calls Christ the
foundation, because it is upon him that
we as living and spiritual stones are
built into a holy priesthood to be a
dwelling place for God in the Spirit.
Upon no other foundation than Christ can
this temple be built. Here Christ is
teaching the same truth by calling
himself the vine, since the vine is the
parent of its branches, and provides
their nourishment.
From Christ and in Christ, we have
been reborn through the Spirit in order
to bear the fruit of life; not the fruit
of our old, sinful life but the fruit of
a new life founded upon our faith in him
and our love for him. Like branches
growing from a vine, we now draw our
life from Christ, and we cling to his
holy commandment in order to preserve
this life. Eager to safeguard the
blessing of our noble birth, we are
careful not to grieve the Holy Spirit
who dwells in us, and who makes us aware
of God’s presence in us.
Let the wisdom of John teach us how
we live in Christ and Christ lives in
us: The proof that we are living in him
and he is living in us is that he has
given us a share in his Spirit. Just as
the trunk of the vine gives its own
natural properties to each of its
branches, so, by bestowing on them the
Holy Spirit, the Word of God, the
only-begotten Son of the Father, gives
Christians a certain kinship with
himself and with God the Father because
they have been united to him by faith
and determination to do his will in all
things. He helps them to grow in love
and reverence for God, and teaches them
to discern right from wrong and to act
with integrity.
