Carmelite homily for Wednesday (Easter V), May 13, 2020 – Lectionary 287 (John 15:1-8)
In today’s Gospel Jesus uses the well-known image of ‘I am the vine; you are the branches; remain on the vine and you will bear great fruit.’ To remain on the vine means to do what the vine does, what Jesus does, which is: forgive seventy times seven, return a blessing for a curse, love your enemies, turn the other cheek, the Golden Rule. This bears a great harvest, a great fruit. Teresa of Avila says, “Let us not cease to believe that even in this life God gives the hundredfold.” I think that’s what Jesus promises in today’s Gospel.
