The Gospel from Today’s Reading should be read while realizing that, if we truly believe, and want to stop the horrible evils of abortion, we must “remain on the vine”. We must be a faithful and believing member of The Roman Catholic Church, renouncing all and every human vanity that might separate us from it.
For us, on earth, The Roman Catholic Church is The Vine.
Abortion was inflicted upon the innocent because Christianity was divided. The multitude of denominations kept those who are Pro-Life from unifying. The only way that abortion can be stopped is if everyone who is Pro-Life becomes Catholic. Nothing else will save millions more babies from being destroyed.
If we keep ourselves from realizing this, we branches separate ourselves from The Vine. If we allow lesser concerns, like “My denomination is right about such and such.” or “The Catholic Church is wrong about thus and so.”, we allow ourselves to be led away from the greatest evil: the destruction of 500,000,000 unborn children.
If we are not able to have the necessary sense of proportion and priority to be Catholic in a conscious effort to stop the evil, we let our vanity separate us from The Vine. The passage makes clear what the result of our vanity will be:
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 everyone 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.”
“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 everyone 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 Roman Catholic Church is The Body of Christ on Earth. For us, it is The Vine of which Jesus speaks in the passage. If we choose to leave The Vine, He tells us that we will “be thrown out like a branch and wither”. We will be “thrown into a fire and burned.” It is clear. Branches who leave The Vine are burned. He goes on to say, ” you remain in Me and My Words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.”
He then tells us that when we stay on The Vine, “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples.”
That’s the smart thing to do.
For us, on earth, The Roman Catholic Church is The Vine. People will gather the withered branches, those who leave The Vine, and throw them on the fire.
We must never forget: Branches who leave The Vine are burned.
