Sunday 3rd May – 5th Sunday of Easter.

Reflection: John 15:1-8

HAVE YOU BEEN PRUNED?

You may wonder what it means for a human being to be pruned. It simply means allowing oneself to be tested and purified.  Beloved, without purification we will be unable to attain a good height in both our spiritual and physical lives. This is indeed a hard saying, not so? But it is true! Jesus tells us today that “the branch that bears fruit will be pruned so that it can bear more fruit.” (John 15:2).

If you have ever sustained a wound that required dressing by a health worker then you have some understanding of what it means to be pruned. Cleaning the wound is often a very painful process but the aftermath is a wound free of germs so as to accelerate healing. This is can serve as a good illustration to Jesus’ words on our need to be pruned in order to bear more fruit.

How does the pruning occur in the life of a child of God? It is by allowing God access into your heart when you read His word in Scripture; when you read the Bible not just for information, but for transformation (John 15:3). Transformation is not an easy process because it demands that you let go of worldly attachments and habits you love so much so as to become better and holier. Hence beloved, don’t run away when the Word of God is challenging you, rather allow it to change you for your own good.

PRAYER: Dear Father, please prune me so that I can die to my selfishness and may bear more fruits of righteousness. Amen.

KNOW YOUR FAITH: CCC 2706: “To meditate on what we read helps us to make it our own by confronting it with ourselves. Here, another book is opened, the book of life. We pass from thoughts to reality.”

HIDE A TREASURE: “The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword…It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 GNB.

Today’s Readings:  Acts 9:26-31; Psalm 22: 26-32; 1Jn 3:18-24; Jn 15:1-8.