It's been said that this is the most beautiful sentence in all the Gospels: "I am the vine, you are the branches." For certain, it is the clearest and strongest statement in the entire New Testament of the closeness of our relationship with Jesus.
It's something we could never earn. No branch ever earned its way onto the vine. No child ever earned its way into a family. No human being ever earns his or her way into the heart of Jesus.
In effect, Jesus says, "I love you, and that's that. All I ask is that you respond." Our connection with him is pure gift.
And what a gift it is. Consider the difference between two scenarios.
Scenario #1: We listen to the rod of the Lord and then try to go out and live up to it on our own.
Scenario #2: We are connected to the Lord as a branch to a vine. We remain connected, always, everywhere. Thus we are able to draw upon the Lord's own goodness and let it flow into the everyday stuff of our lives.
The latter scenario can make a day look a lot different. "Here we go, Lord. You and I. Together. I'll do my best but, remember, I'm depending on you. You're the vine ... I'm the branch."
- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw