Daily reflection _ productivity is a big word

PRODUCTIVITY IS A BIG WORD
“We are named after Christ Jesus, not because He is absent from us, but because He dwells in us, that is, because we believe in Him and are Christ's one to another."  
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
Productivity is a big and important word. In this secular world of ours the pursuit of it results in too much stress for many. World success is about what can be measured, weighed, and evaluated monetarily. The comforting and beautiful words of today's Gospel are about a more profound kind of productivity. We hear Jesus Christ say that He is the Vine and we are the branches and that the Father is the Vinedresser who prunes the vines to make them more fruitful. Moreover, He reminds us that we can only be productive if we remain in union with Him and if the branches continue to receive that nourishment coming from the vine itself and its roots.
Jesus, who calls Himself the "true Vine" makes clear that no one can claim spiritual inheritance through association with a particular people.  Jesus offers true life, the abundant life which comes only from our heavenly Father and which results in great fruitfulness. Jesus uses this image to describe the kind of life He produces in those of us who are united with Him - the fruit of "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit of God."
Being productive in this way, we live a life of a true Christian. Martin Luther said it well and calls it "the freedom of a Christian." Here is another good line: "Faith is truly active through works, that is, it finds expression in works of the freest service. We are named after Christ Jesus, not because He is absent from us, but because He dwells in us, that is, because we believe in Him and are Christ's one to another." This is a beautiful summation of the life of a Christian!
As we proclaim in today's Gospel Acclamation, "Remain in Me, as I remain in you, says the Lord; whoever remains in Me will bear fruit" (Jn 15:4-5).
This is the simple truth; we are either fruit-bearing or non fruit-bearing.