Gospel:  Jn 15:1-8 

"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 l spoke to you. Remain in me, as l 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."

1.  "I Am the Vine You Are the Branches."

When Christ spoke these words in the Last Supper he was on the point of being separated from his apostles. For the first time since they had begun to follow him, they were truly going to be alone. They would look for him and they would not find him. He was going to his death, going to be crucified. But it is now that he tells them, they must remain with him. Not only that, but they will receive their lifeblood and strength from him. 

Christ is the vine. A grapevine is lasting, perennial. The leaves fall off in the winter, and the branches are truly pruned, down to the very vine, so that next year's harvest will be rich and plentiful. But the vine remains. It is the base from which the whole life and work of the plant stems. 

Christ is the center of all creation. Without him, there would be nothing, the world would simply not exist. And in a very special way, he is the center of a Christian's life. Everything I do makes sense only in as much as I do it in union with Christ and for him. Everything, not just Mass and my daily prayers. I live and breathe because Christ sustains me and gives me life. I raise my family, work and live because I love Christ and Christ is in me. And because I live for Christ, everything I do becomes an apostolate. If I am home cleaning my bedroom, if I am in class, or with my family and friends, there is no room for selfishness, boredom, tiredness or cynicism. Christ is with me and I am with Christ. Each and every one of my actions must be a means of showing Christ that I love him, I am thinking of him and I want him to know it in every minute of the day. And above all, I want to show others how to love him. Prove to them that real happiness comes from being attached to him. 

2.  "You Are the Branches."

No branch can live if it is separated from the vine. Its essence and reason for being are totally dependent on receiving its life and nourishment from the vine. A separated branch is useless, dried, shriveled, dead. It is no longer really a branch, just a mass of biological matter, chemicals and water that still happens to look like a living branch that grows, blooms and gives fruit. But very soon it will decompose and turn into dust. 

How does that apply to me? Take that last paragraph and replace the metaphors with reality: 

No Christian can live if he is separated from Christ. His essence and reason for being are totally dependent on receiving his life and nourishment from Christ. A separated Christian is useless, dried, shriveled, dead. He is no longer really a disciple, just a mass of biological matter, chemicals and water who still happens to look like a living Christian who grows, blooms and gives fruit. But very soon he will decompose and turn into dust. 

There lies the fundamental reality of my Christian life, the truth of the apostle. Separated from Jesus Christ, my life loses its purpose and end. It loses its life, and becomes death. First spiritual death, the soul separates itself from Christ and shrivels. And ultimately, real death. 

Such an apostle, if he can be called an apostle, runs his course in this world, only to find that at the end, everything was in vain. The basis of his actions was not love of Christ. Perhaps he said many pretty things, even helped a lot of people. But if he didn't act for love of Christ, if he didn't preach Christ above all with his deeds and actions, he was not an apostle. He shined so that others might see him, or he kept acting so that others would think well of him, even though in his interior he was tired, bored or cynical. 

Being united to Christ, being a branch on the vine not only is the essence of Christian life, in the end it is the only thing that matters. That means anything I do that is not done the way Christ wants it done is wasted effort. 

That doesn't mean I have to be actively thinking about Christ in every moment for my actions to be acts of love of him, any more than I have to be thinking about my beloved ones in every moment to be loving them. But when a person has Christ in his heart, even the insignificant details, the daily routine, take on a new meaning. For Christ is always present. He sees and knows everything. And as his love is infinite, the worth of even the smallest of details in our daily life, done out of love, can gain enough grace to do an infinite amount of good. It can even save a soul, and there is nothing in this life worth more. There is nothing even close. There is infinitely more value in the daily actions of a mother who lovingly cares for her family than the profit-making decisions of a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company. 

How often we should remind ourselves of that. Christ himself told us, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, if he loses his soul in the process?" Perhaps we can be dazzled by the power that some individuals exercise, or the millions of dollars that are paid out to great athletes, but power and money do not buy happiness. Only Christ's love can guarantee that. His love for me is guaranteed. He died on the cross for me. 

Nevertheless, I am called to show my love for him one day at a time like the branch that grows on the vine. No one sees it grow. If you pass by one day, you will hardly notice any difference from the day before. But what a difference there is between the first bloom in the spring to the harvest in the fall, when what began as a barely noticeable sprout on the vine, finishes as a rich leafy branch with a plentiful harvest of grapes. 

Questionnaire:  This optional questionnaire is intended to help you to examine your life, in the light of the inspirations God just gave you in these moments you shared with him. 

1. Does "being united to Christ" have any practical meaning in my daily life? 

2. Are my daily prayers real moments of union with Christ? 

3. Do I take time during the day to speak to Christ? Does that have any practical meaning in my daily life?