Sunday, April 25, 2027 · Year B
Fifth Sunday of Easter
I am the vine, you are the branches
At the Last Supper Jesus tells His disciples, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” Whoever remains in Him bears much fruit, but apart from Him we can do nothing. In Acts, Barnabas vouches for the newly converted Saul before the frightened disciples in Jerusalem.
Mass Readings
- First Reading Acts 9:26-31
- Responsorial Psalm Psalm 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32
- Second Reading 1 John 3:18-24
- Gospel John 15:1-8
Open the Mass Readings on USCCB.org →
First Reading Acts 9:26-31
When Saul comes to Jerusalem, the disciples are afraid of him. Barnabas brings him to the apostles and tells how Saul met the Lord and preached boldly in Damascus. The Church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria is at peace and grows.
Psalm Psalm 22
I will praise You, Lord, in the assembly of Your people.
Second Reading 1 John 3:18-24
Let us love not in word but in deed and truth. God’s commandment is that we believe in the name of His Son and love one another. Whoever keeps His commandments remains in Him.
Gospel John 15:1-8
Jesus is the true vine and His Father is the vine grower, who prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it bears more. A branch cut off from the vine withers. Whoever remains in Jesus bears much fruit and glorifies the Father.
Step Into the Story
Israel was God’s vine long before Jesus spoke of one; Isaiah 5 sings of a vineyard that yielded only wild grapes. Herod’s Temple carried a golden vine over the entrance to the sanctuary, its clusters, Josephus says, as tall as a man. Saul of Tarsus, after the risen Christ knocked him flat on the road to Damascus around 34 A.D., came to Jerusalem three years later. The disciples were terrified of him until Barnabas, “son of encouragement,” vouched for him.
- c. 20 B.C.Herod begins the Temple
- 14 A.D.Tiberius becomes emperor
- c. 18 A.D.Caiaphas becomes high priest
- 26 A.D.Pilate becomes prefect
- This week’s scene: c. 30 A.D.“I am the vine”
Return to the night of the Last Supper, which most scholars place in 30 A.D. Supper is over, and Jesus is still speaking, giving His last words to men who do not yet understand them. Outside, the hills around Jerusalem are terraced with vineyards. It is spring: the vines were pruned hard in winter, and now new green shoots are breaking from the stocks. Fruitless shoots will be pinched off so the strength goes to the grapes.
Every man at that table had seen a vinedresser at work. Picture the knife, the cut wood dropped at his feet, the heap of dead branches dried for the fire. Stay at the table in the lamplight, leaning close. Look at His face, and hear Him begin: “I am the true vine.”
Encounter the Lord
Walk through a vineyard in early spring. The vinedresser is cutting back the branches, even the healthy ones. It looks harsh. But he knows what he is doing: a pruned branch bears more fruit.
Jesus says that His Father prunes you so that you will bear more fruit. Not every loss is punishment; some of it is pruning. And He tells you the secret of fruitfulness: remain in Me. Not try harder, but stay connected. A branch does not produce grapes by effort; it bears fruit because the sap of the vine flows through it. The Holy Spirit is that sap, given in prayer and the sacraments. Apart from Him you can do nothing; in Him your life can bear fruit that lasts.
This week, choose one daily moment, ten quiet minutes, to remain with Jesus in prayer. Keep it every day, even when it feels dry.
Know Your Faith
- 126·what it means that the Church is the Body of Christ
- 120·what the Holy Spirit does in my life
- 311·the fruits of the Holy Spirit
Remain in Me
Jesus spoke of an intimate communion between Himself and those who follow Him: “Abide in me, and I in you. I am the vine, you are the branches” (CCC 787). Communion with Jesus became, in a way, more intense after He sent His Spirit (CCC 788).
The Whole Christ
Christ and His Church together make up the “whole Christ”; He is the head and we are the members (CCC 795). The Church is united not only around Christ but in Him, in His Body (CCC 789).
The Spirit, Sap of the Vine
The Holy Spirit is like the sap of the Father’s vine which bears fruit on its branches (CCC 1108). Through the Spirit we are branches grafted onto the vine which is Christ Himself (CCC 1988).
The Fruit of Holiness
The fruit Jesus speaks of is the holiness of a life made fruitful by union with Him (CCC 2074). He who grafted us onto the true vine makes us bear the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness (CCC 736).
Key Takeaways
- Scripture
- Doctrine
- Sacraments
- Christian Life
- Christian Life: Christians must stay united with Jesus to bear spiritual fruit.
- Doctrine: The Church is the Body of Christ, with Christ as the head and the faithful as members.
- Sacraments: The Holy Spirit gives the life of Christ to His members, especially through prayer and the sacraments.
- Christian Life: God sometimes allows hardship to make us more fruitful.
Test Your Knowledge
True or false? Tap your answer.
Jesus says that the Father is the vine grower.
True.
Jesus says that apart from Him we can do a few good things.
False: He says apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).
The disciples in Jerusalem were at first afraid of Saul.
True.
Barnabas brought Saul to the apostles and spoke for him.
True.
The Catechism compares the Holy Spirit to the sap of the vine.
True.
The vine grower prunes only the branches that bear no fruit.
False: he also prunes fruitful branches so they bear more (John 15:2).
The First Letter of John asks us to love in deed and truth, not only in word.
True.
The fruit Jesus speaks of is mainly worldly success.
False: it is the holiness of a life united with Him, CCC 2074.
Christ and His Church together form the “whole Christ.”
True.
The vine was a familiar Old Testament symbol for Israel.
True.
Answers: 1 T · 2 F (He says apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5)) · 3 T · 4 T · 5 T · 6 F (he also prunes fruitful branches so they bear more (John 15:2)) · 7 T · 8 F (it is the holiness of a life united with Him, CCC 2074) · 9 T · 10 T
Journal Prompts
What helps me remain in Jesus day by day? What cuts me off?
Is there a hardship in my life that God might be using to prune me?
What fruit would I like my life to bear for God?
Who in my life, like Barnabas, needs someone to speak up for them?
Talk to God
Lord Jesus, You are the true vine and I am a branch. Keep me always united to You. Prune what is useless in me, and let Your Spirit make my life bear fruit for the Father. Amen.