^15:8 In this is my Father glorified; that you bring forth much fruit, and become my disciples. [n. 1996] ^15:8 In hoc clarificatus est Pater meus ut fructum plurimum afferatis et efficiamini mei discipuli. [n. 1996] 1978. In this talk our Lord especially wants to comfort his disciples about two things: one was near, in the present, and this was his passion; the other was what they feared in the future, and this was the troubles which would come upon them. He had said to them about these two things: let not your heart be troubled, referring to the first, nor let it be afraid (John 14:27), referring to the second. 1978. Dominus in hoc sermone specialiter intendebat animos discipulorum confortare contra duo: scilicet contra unum quod imminebat in praesenti, quod erat passio eius; et aliud quod timebatur futurum, scilicet tribulatio eis superventura. Unde contra ista duo dixerat eis non turbetur cor vestrum, quantum ad primum, neque formidet, quantum ad secundum. So now, after comforting them over his leaving, let not your heart be troubled (John 14:1), he strengthens them for the troubles which will come upon them. Postquam ergo confortavit eos de recessu suo, hic confortat eos contra tribulationes eis superventuras, et First, he presents a certain image; primo proponit eis quamdam similitudinem; second, he moves from this to his intention: now you are clean by reason of the word. secundo ex illa procedit ad propositum, ibi iam vos mundi estis. The image he presents is of a vine and a vinedresser. Similitudo autem est de vite et agricola. Unde First, he mentions the vine; primo proponit vitem; second, the vinedresser; secundo introducit agricolam; and third, he approves of the vinedresser’s concern for the branches of the vine. tertio studium agricolae circa palmites commendat. 1979. He himself is the vine. So he says, making a comparison, I am the true vine; for as a vine, although it seems to be of small account, nevertheless surpasses all trees in the sweetness of its fruit, so Christ, although he seemed to be despised by the world because he was poor, and seemed of small account and was publicly disgraced, nevertheless produced the sweetest fruit: his fruit was sweet to my taste (Song 2:3). And so Christ is a vine producing a wine which interiorly intoxicates us: a wine of sorrow for sin: you have given us to drink the wine of sorrow (Ps 60:3); and a wine which strengthens us, that is, which restores us: my blood is drink indeed (John 6:56). In the same way he compared himself, above, to wheat, for his flesh is truly food. 1979. Sed vitis est ipse; unde dicit per quamdam similitudinem, ego sum vitis, quia sicut vitis, licet despecta videatur, omnia tamen ligna excedit in dulcedine fructus, ita Christus etsi mundo despectus videretur, quia pauper erat et ignobilis videbatur et ignominiam sustinens, tamen dulcissimos fructus protulit; secundum illud Cant. II, 3: fructus eius dulcis gutturi meo. Et ideo Christus est vitis afferens vinum interius inebrians, quod est vinum compunctionis; Ps. LIX, 5: potasti nos vino compunctionis. Iterum vinum confortans, scilicet nostrae refectionis; supra VI, 56: sanguis meus vere est potus. Sic enim supra comparavit se grano frumenti, quia caro eius vere est cibus. This is the vine mentioned in Genesis: there was a vine before me, and on the vine there were three branches (Gen 40:9–10), that is Christ, in whom there are three substances: his body, soul and divinity. This is also the vine about which Jacob says: my son, tie your she-ass, that is, the Church, to the vine (Gen 49:11). Haec est vitis illa de qua dicitur Gen. XL, v. 9: videbam coram me vitem habentem propagines tres, idest Christum, in quo sunt tres substantiae, scilicet corpus et anima et divinitas. Haec est etiam vitis de qua Iacob dicit Gen. penult., 2: ligabis ad vitem, fili mi, asinam tuam, idest Ecclesiam. 1980. This vine is true. 1980. Sed haec vitis est vera. Sometimes what is true is distinguished from its image, as a man from his picture. And sometimes what is true is distinguished from what is deformed or spoiled, as true wine from vinegar, which is spoiled wine. When Christ says here, I am the true vine, he is using true in the second sense to distinguish himself from the deformed or spoiled vine, which is the Jewish people. We read about them: how then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine (Jer 2:21). This was because this vine brought forth wild grapes instead of grapes: when I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? (Isa 5:4). Ubi sciendum, quod verum aliquando dividitur contra similitudinarium, sicut homo verus ab homine picto; aliquando a corrupto, sicut acetum a vino, quia est vinum corruptum. Hoc ergo quod dicitur ego sum vitis vera, accipitur secundo modo, ut discernat se a vite corrupta, scilicet a populo Iudaeorum, de quo dicitur Ier. XI, 21: quomodo conversa es in amaritudinem vitis aliena? Et hoc ideo, quia non faciebat uvas sed labruscas; Is. V, 4: expectavi ut faceret uvas, et fecit labruscas. 1981. There are two natures in Christ, the divine and the human. Because of his human nature he is like us and is less than the Father. Because of his divine nature he is like God and above us. Thus he is the true vine insofar as he is the head of the Church, the man Christ Jesus. He implies this when he mentions the vinedresser, who is the Father. He says, and my Father is the husbandman. If Christ is the vine because of his divine nature, the Father would also be the vine like the Son. But because Christ is the vine by reason of his human nature, the Father is related to him as cultivator to vine. Indeed, even Christ himself, as God, is a cultivator. However, a cultivator is said from agriculture: whence a vinedresser is a cultivator insofar as he cultivates. 1981. Sed notandum, quod in Christo est duplex natura, divina scilicet et humana: et secundum humanam convenit nobiscum, et minor est Patre; secundum divinam convenit cum Deo, et est supra nos. Est ergo vitis vera secundum hoc quod est caput Ecclesiae, homo Christus Iesus. Et hoc insinuat introducens agricolam, qui est Pater, unde dicit et Pater meus agricola est. Si enim est vitis secundum divinam naturam, Pater vitis esset sicut et Filius: quia ergo secundum humanam naturam vitis est, ideo Pater se habet ad ipsum sicut agricola ad vitem. Ipse etiam secundum quod Deus agricola est. Dicitur autem agricola a cultura: unde et vinitor inquantum colit agricola est. 1982. Now to cultivate something is to devote one’s interest to it. And we can cultivate something in two ways: either to make what is cultivated better, as we cultivate a field or something of that sort, or to make ourselves better by the cultivating, and in this way we cultivate wisdom. God cultivates us to make us better by his work, since he roots out the evil seeds in our hearts. As Augustine says, he opens our hearts with the plow of his words, plants the seeds of the commandments, and harvests the fruit of devotion. But we cultivate him in order that we might be made better through him, and we does this by worshipping him, not by plowing. But if man is a servant of God and does his will, he hears him (John 9:31). The Father, therefore, is the vinedresser of his vine to the good of another. For he himself plants, yet I planted you a chosen vineyard, all true seed (Jer 2:21). Again he increases, I have planted, Apollo watered, but God gave the increase, (1 Cor 3:6), because God alone increases the interior and makes it bear fruit: and as much as man cooperates exteriorly, he himself guards and conserves, there was a householder who planted a vineyard, and made a hedge round about it (Matt 21:33, Isa 5:2). 1982. Sed cum colere sit studium impendere, dupliciter aliquid colimus. Vel ut id quod colimus melioretur: et hoc modo colimus agrum, vel aliquid tale. Alia modo ut nos melioremur per ipsum; et hoc modo homo colit sapientiam. Deus ergo colit nos, ut nos ex eius opere melioremur, inquantum extirpat mala semina de cordibus nostris. Aperit cor nostrum aratro sermonis; plantat semina praeceptorum; colligit fructum pietatis, ut dicit Augustinus. Nos autem colimus eum ut nos per ipsum melioremur, sed hoc adorando, non arando; supra IX, 31: si quis Dei cultor est . . . hunc exaudit. Est ergo Pater agricola huius vitis ad bonum alterius. Ipse enim plantat; Ier. II, 21: ego te plantavi vineam electam, omne semen verum. Ipse augmentat; I Cor. III, 6: ego plantavi, Apollo rigavit, Deus autem incrementum dedit, quia solus Deus interius augmentat et fructificare facit: quantumcumque homo cooperetur exterius, ipse custodit et conservat; Matth. XXI, 33 et Is. V, 2 dicitur, quod aedificavit in vinea turrim et sepem circumdedit. 1983. The vinedresser is concerned about two things: the vine and its branches. Now the vine considered here was perfect, and did not need care by the vinedresser. And so the entire care of the vinedresser will be directed to the branches. He says, every branch in me, that does not bear fruit, he will take away, and so forth. The branches of a vine, however, have the nature of the vine; and so those united to Christ are branches of this vine: the vine brought forth branches (Ezek 17:6). 1983. Studium autem agricolae est circa duo: circa vitem et circa palmites. Sed vitis de qua hic agitur, perfecta erat, non indigens agricolae studio; unde totum studium agricolae erat circa palmites impendendum, et ideo dicit omnem palmitem in me non ferentem fructum, tollet eum. Palmites autem sunt de natura vitis: unde adhaerentes Christo sunt palmites huius vitis; Ez. XVII, 6: facta est vitis in palmites. He mentions two things about the branches: Circa hoc ergo duo facit. first, the attitude of the vinedresser to the bad branches; Primo ponit studium huius agricolae circa palmites malos; second, his interest in the good branches. secundo circa palmites bonos. 1984. The vinedresser’s interest in the bad branches is to cut them off the vine. Thus he says, every branch, that is, every believer, in me, that does not bear fruit, that is, bears no fruit on the vine, which is me, without whom nothing can bear fruit, he will take away from the vine. It is clear from this that not only are some cut off from Christ for doing evil, but also because they neglect to do good: we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain (2 Cor 6:1). Thus the Apostle said about himself: by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain (1 Cor 15:10). We read in Matthew that the money was taken away from the servant who did not bear fruit with it, but hid it instead (Matt 25:28); and in Luke, our Lord ordered the unfruitful fig tree to be cut down (Luke 13:7). 1984. Studium autem eius circa malos est ut scindantur a vite; unde dicit omnem palmitem, idest omnem fidelem, non ferentem fructum, scilicet in vite, in me, sine quo nihil fructificare potest, tollet eum, scilicet a vite. Ex quo apparet quod non solum a Christo rescinduntur aliqui quia mala faciunt, sed etiam quia bona facere negligunt; II Cor. VI, 1: hortamur vos ne in vacuum gratiam Dei recipiatis. Unde de se dicebat Apostolus, I Cor. XV, 10: gratia Dei sum id quod sum, et gratia eius in me vacua non fuit. Et Matth. XXV, 28 dicitur, quod ablatum est talentum ei qui ex eo non fructificavit, sed abscondit illud; Lc. XIII, 7, Dominus ficum sterilem praecepit abscindi. 1985. His interest in the good branches is to help them so they can bear more fruit. So he says, and every one that bears fruit, he will purge, that it may bear more fruit. Considering the literal sense, we see that a natural vine with branches that have many shoots bears less fruit, because the sap is spread out through all the shoots. Thus the vinedresser prunes away the extra shoots so that the vine can bear more fruit. It is the same with us. For if we are well-disposed and united to God, yet scatter our love over many things, our virtue becomes weak and we become less able to do good. This is why God, in order that we may bear fruit, will frequently remove such obstacles and prune us by sending troubles and temptations, which make us stronger. Accordingly, he says, he purges, even though one may be clean, for in this life no one is so clean that he does not need to be cleansed more and more: if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). And he does this so that it may bear more fruit, that is, grow in virtue, so that the more pruned or cleansed the more fruitful one is: let the just still be justified, and the holy still be sanctified (Rev 22:11); the Gospel is bearing fruit and growing (Col 1:6); they go from strength to strength (Ps 84:7). 1985. Studium autem eius circa bonos palmites est ut foveantur ad magis fructificandum; unde dicit et omnem qui fert fructum, purgabit eum, ut fructum plus afferat. Ad litteram enim in vite naturali contingit quod palmes multos surculos habens, minus fructificat propter humoris diffusionem ad omnes, et ideo cultores, ut magis fructificet, purgant eum a superfluis surculis. Ita est in homine. Nam homo bene dispositus et Deo coniunctus, si suum affectum ad diversa inclinet, virtus eius minoratur, et magis inefficax fit ad bene operandum. Et inde est quod Deus, ut bene fructificet, frequenter praescindit huiusmodi impedimenta et purgat, immittens tribulationes et tentationes, quibus fortior fiat ad operandum. Et ideo dicit purgabit eum, etiamsi purus existat: quia nullus est adeo purus in hac vita ut non sit magis magisque purgandus; I Io. I, 8: si dixerimus quia peccatum non habemus, ipsi nos seducimus et veritas in nobis non est. Et hoc ut plus fructum afferat, idest crescat in virtute, ut tanto sint fructuosiores quanto sunt mundiores; Apoc. ult., 2: qui iustus est, iustificetur adhuc, et sanctus sanctificetur adhuc; Coloss. I, 6: verbum Evangelii fructificat et crescit; Ps. LXXXIII, 8: ibunt de virtute in virtutem. 1986. Now he passes from this image to his main intention. Two things were noticed in the above image when comparing the branches to the vine: the union of the branches to the vine, and the pruning of the branches. 1986. Hic ex similitudine prosequitur intentum. Duo autem in praedicta similitudine tangebantur in comparatione palmitum ad vitem. Unum est palmitum ad vitem inhaesio; secundum est palmitum purgatio. First, he considers the union of the branches with the vine; Primo ergo agit de inhaesione; second, their pruning: if the world hates you, know that it hated me before you (John 15:18). secundo de purgatione, ibi si mundus vos odit, scitote quia me priorem vobis odio habuit. As to the first, Circa primum he advises the disciples to cling to the vine; primo monet discipulos ut viti inhaereant; second, he gives the reason for this: as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself; secundo rationes inhaesionis adducit, ibi sicut palmes non potest ferre fructum a semetipso etc.; third, he describes this union: as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. tertio modum inhaesionis assignat, ibi sicut dilexit me Pater, et ego dilexi vos. He does two things concerning the first: Circa primum duo facit. he reminds them of a benefit already received; Primo commemorat eis susceptum beneficium; second, he tells them to abide in him: abide in me, and I in you. secundo monet ut in eo permaneant, ibi manete in me, et ego in vobis. 1987. The benefit they had already received was that of being cleansed. He says, now you are clean. It is like saying: I have said certain things about branches; and you are branches ready to be pruned so as to bear fruit. And you are clean by reason of the word, which I have spoken. 1987. Beneficia susceperunt mundationis, unde dicit iam vos mundi estis; quasi dicat: talia dixi de palmitibus; sed vos estis palmites praeparati purgari ad fructum ferendum, et hoc propter sermonem quem locutus sum vobis. The word of Christ, in the first place, cleanses us from error by teaching us: he must hold firm to the sure word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine (Titus 1:9). This is because there is no falsity in the words of God: all my words are right (Prov 8:8). He says, you are clean, from the errors of the Jews. Second, the word of Christ cleanses our hearts from earthly affections by inflaming them toward heavenly things. For the word of God by its power moves our hearts, weighed down by earthly things, and sets them on fire: is not my word fire? (Jer 23:29). Third when God is invoked in baptism, his word cleanses us from sin. For we are cleansed in baptism because the word cleanses with the water. As Augustine says: take away the word and what is the water but only water? The word accompanies the element and a sacrament is formed. Thus it is the word which makes the water touch the body and wash the heart. The word, I say, not because it is spoken, but because it is believed. For this word of faith is so strong in the Church that it even cleanses infants, although they themselves cannot believe, when it is proclaimed from the faith of those who believe, offer, bless and touch the infants, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19). Fourth, the word of Christ cleanses by the power of faith: God cleansed their hearts by faith (Acts 15:9). Thus, he says you, already instructed, moved, baptized, and confirmed in the faith, are clean by reason of the word, which I have spoken. As above: you are clean, but not all (John 13:11). Verbum enim Christi mundat primo quidem ab erroribus, instruendo; ad Tit. I, 9: amplectentem eum, qui secundum doctrinam est, fidelem sermonem, ut potens sit exhortari in doctrina sana, et eos qui contradicunt arguere. Et hoc ideo quia in verbis Dei nulla falsitas invenitur; Prov. VIII, 9: recti sunt sermones mei. Dicit ergo mundi estis, ab erroribus Iudaicis. Secundo mundat corda a terrenis affectibus, ad caelestia inflammando. Verbum enim Dei cor hominis ad terrena depressum concutit sua virtute, ex quo inflammatur; Ier. XXIII, 29: numquid non verba mea sunt quasi ignis? Tertio mundat sermo Dei a peccatis, invocatus in baptismo. Nam homines in baptismo purgantur, quia in aqua verbum mundat; quia, ut dicit Augustinus: detrahe verbum, quid est aqua, nisi aqua? Accedit verbum ad elementum, et fit sacramentum. Verbum ergo facit ut aqua corpus tangat, et cor abluat. Verbum, inquam, non quia dicitur, sed quia creditur. Hoc enim verbum fidei tantum valet in Ecclesia ut etiam ipsos parvos infantes mundet, quamvis credere non valentes ex fide credentium, offerentium, benedicentium, et tangentium prolatum; Matth. ultimo, 29: baptizantes eos in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Quarto mundat per virtutem fidei; Act. XV, 9: fide purificans corda eorum. Dicit ergo eis vos, iam instructi, iam commoti, iam baptizati, iam in fide firmati, mundi estis propter sermonem quem locutus sum vobis. Supra eodem: vos mundi estis, sed non omnes. Since he had said above that the work of a vinedresser was to prune, he clearly shows that he is a vinedresser when he says that his word cleanses. And indeed, Christ, as God, is a vinedresser and prunes the branches. Sed cum supra dixerit officium agricolae esse purgare, manifeste ostendit se esse agricolam, dicens sermonem suum purgativum. Et vere ipse, inquantum Deus, mundator est palmitum, et agricola. 1988. Here he urges them to persevere. He is saying in effect: because you are now cleansed and have received such a great benefit, you should remain this way. He says, abide in me, by charity: he who abides in love abides in God (1 John 4:16); and by means of the sacraments: he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him (John 6:57). He says, abide in me, by receiving grace, and I in you, by helping you. 1988. Hic inducit eos ad perseverantiam; quasi diceret: quia mundi estis, et tantum beneficium recepistis, debetis in eo perseverare. Unde dicit manete in me, per caritatem, I Io. IV, 16: qui manet in caritate, in Deo manet, et per sacramentorum participationem, supra VI, 57: qui manducat carnem meam, et bibit sanguinem meum, in me manet. Dicit ergo manete in me, gratiam suscipiendo, et ego in vobis, vos adiuvando. 1989. Next, he gives four reasons for being united to Christ: as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me. 1989. Consequenter cum dicit sicut palmes non potest ferre fructum a semetipso nisi manserit in vite, sic nec vos nisi in me manseritis, inducit rationes inhaesionis, quae sunt quatuor.