Connect Me

I Am the Vine

Our Gospel this past Sunday was one of my favorites… “I am the vine and you are the branches.”  Click HERE to take a quick read… take your time and immerse yourself in the symbolism.

Great huh?

You Are the Branches

One of the great themes in this reading is connection.  God’s connection to us… our connection to God… our connection to other people.  The vine and the branch is a great visual for us to imagine the Body of Christ.

I come to the picture of a thick, stalky vine… like a tree trunk but also like a grape vine growing up from the ground.  In my mind, the vine is more wild and free than a tree but thicker and sturdier than a grape plant.

The branches shoot off from the home part of the plant in all directions… and I think of that fragile tendril at the end reaching and searching for the next solid place to cling to… much like the animators’ creations in Disney’s Fantasia movie.

The seeking part is what intrigues me.  How does the branch know where to go?  How does it decide when to make a new blossom or a new leaf?  How does it know when to make a grape?

It’s Connected to the Source

The branch knows all it needs to know because it is connected to the source… to the vine.  As long as the branch stays connected to the vine, there will be new blossoms, new leaves and new grapes.

There is a powerful message in that simple image for us.

When we as branches… stay connected to God as the vine… we will blossom and grow and produce fruit.

How to Stay Connected

Pray.  Love and serve one another.  Be a disciple.

Go be a branch today!