4/29/18: 5th Sunday of Easter: If We Want to Bear Fruit, God Has to Prune Us (With a Brief Excursus on the Wonder of Wine)

Today Jesus calls himself the True Vine and we the branches. He then goes on to tell us that his Father (the "vine grower") prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit. This means that getting pruned is a good thing, even though it involves a painful process of being stripped of the excess in our life. So how can we let God prune us? It is only possible if we "remain" in him. "Remain in me as I remain in you."