The disciples were constantly misinterpreting, misunderstanding. But that was growing as well their misunderstanding, their lack of insight, their own blocks and recurrent problems. All of that was growing through Jesus’ faithful teaching and faithful commitment to them. And that is in the Gospel of John. This becomes the great mystical symbol of the vine in which we grow because we are fused with the vine. We are the branches of the vine. That’s how life grows, expands, spreads, produces fruit, and displays the the beauty and wonder of nature through this connection, through this living natural connection.Â
(Homily 16 June 2024 by Laurence Freeman OSB )