Scripture Scribbles: April 28, 2024

the Gospel

John 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."

the devotion

Bear with me here, I’m going to try to bring you into my world for a minute.  I am terrible with directions, and when I’m lost it can cause some serious anxiety.  As long as I have been driving I love clear directions, and when I’m driving into unknown territory I LOVE clear signs!!  I love when I see multiple signs that almost seem to be repeating themselves just for me.  Say I’m heading to the airport and there are very clear, very noticeable signs with arrows pointing me in the exact lane I should be in, I find this so comforting.  Sometimes I feel like these signs are a little gift just for me, they feel….personal. 

That's how I'm feeling about this reading from John, Jesus is making himself very clear he is even repeating himself and reiterating what it is he wants us ALL to know. He’s telling us, “I am the TRUE vine, and my Father is the vine grower.”  Beautiful, got it…..”I am the vine you are the branches…” He’s explaining to us that we are connected, to HIM! “Remain in me, as I remain in you…..whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.”  Are we bearing fruit?  Are our lives bearing fruit?  

It’s making me think of this gift I was blessed to receive recently.  I was able to witness 33 college students enter the Catholic church and it was beyond beautiful!! I was thinking about these religious priests and sisters and other Catholic students that walked with this group through their RCIA program and the fruits of their labor were looking back at me on the faces of the students receiving their sacraments in the packed church on a Sunday morning on a College campus.  College, when many Catholics walk away from their faith, these student were choosing HIM.  Choosing to be the branches, wanting to bear fruit.  I couldn't help but be so excited for them and honestly a little in awe of how God was moving and bearing fruit right there on that campus! 

I love thinking of that gift of the Holy Spirit that we all received at our baptism, and the fruits of the spirit, that Paul lists in Gal. 5:22-23 is another one of those clear signs, “But the fruit of the Spirit is, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”  There isn’t one of those I wouldn’t love more of!  But how? By letting myself be pruned by the WORD. Remain in Him!  Let Him remain in me!

Today’s devotion was written by Beth Brennan