This translation is from the New American Bible. The bolded hyperlinks will take you to additional translations. The entire chapter is included to provide context.
Other bolded hyperlinks will take you to meditations on the matters raised in today’s readings. They are provided beneath the specific reading they relate to.
Information about the meaning the original Greek of what seem to be key words is provided in blue. They are provided beneath the specific reading they relate to.
Excerpts collected in yellow at the end of this post tell us something about God’s nature or our relationship to Him.
Excerpts collected in green at the end of this post tell us about something God wants us to do.
Excerpts collected in red at the end of this post tell us about something God wants us not to do.
Reading I
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles, and he reported to them how he had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.
He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem, and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord. He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists, but they tried to kill him. And when the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him on his way to Tarsus.
The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (26a) I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear the LORD.
The lowly shall eat their fill; they who seek the LORD shall praise him: “May your hearts live forever!”
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD;
all the families of the nations shall bow down before him.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
To him alone shall bow down all who sleep in the earth;
before him shall bend all who go down into the dust.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
And to him my soul shall live; my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born the justice he has shown.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
Reading II
Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts before him in whatever our hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us.
believe = πιστεύω = pisteuō
to be persuaded of," and hence, "to place confidence in, to trust," signifies, in this sense of the word, reliance upon, not mere credence; to entrust, commit to; to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in; to credit; the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul; mere acknowledgment of some fact or event: intellectual faith; put in trust with; a conviction, full of joyful trust ...conjoined with obedience; to have a faith directed unto, believing or in faith to give oneself up to
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
trust, put faith in, rely on; entertain a confident opinion; comply; believe that, feel confident that a thing is, will be, has been; have faith; entrust
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in me as I remain in you, says the Lord.
Whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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.”
remain = μένω = menō
Abide; continue; dwell; endure; stand; tarry; not to depart; to continue to be present; to remain as one, not to become another or different; to wait for, await one; to sojourn, tarry, to tarry as a guest, lodge; to maintain unbroken fellowship with one, adhere to his party; to be constantly present to help one; to put forth constant influence upon one;to dwell as it were within him, to be continually operative in him by his divine influence and energy; to be rooted as it were in him, knit to him; to persevere; cleaves, holds fast, to; to be held, or kept, continually; not to perish, to last, to endure; be still in (his) possession
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
stand fast; stay at home, stay where one is; lodge, tarry; to be lasting, remain, stand; fixed, stable, permanent; abide; await, expect
See also:
What we can learn about fruitfulness from John 15
Gardening Bible Study: John 15:1-17
John 15:1-17 annotated—What this scripture tells us to do
Gardening Themed Scripture Meditations—topically organized series and stand-alone meditations
What these readings tell us about God/His ways:
It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD
all the families of the nations shall bow down before him
To him alone shall bow down all who sleep in the earth
before him shall bend all who go down into the dust
the justice he has shown
let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth
Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts
God is greater than our hearts and knows everything
we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us.
Whoever remains in me will bear much fruit
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
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
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
By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples
What these readings tell us to do:
walked in the fear of the Lord
I will praise you
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear the LORD.
praise him
I will praise you
I will praise you
I will praise you
to him my soul shall live
serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
proclaim to a people yet to be born the justice he has shown.
I will praise you
let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth
keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ
love one another just as he commanded us
Remain in me as I remain in you
Remain in me, as I remain in you
remain in me
my words remain in
ask for whatever you want
bear much fruit and become my disciples
What these readings tell us not to do:
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.
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