A well-known beautiful passage in the Gospels is Jesus’ reference to the vine and the branches. We appreciate these words in the gift of life it evokes. Our life, now and eternal, depend on our union with Him. St. Cyril of Alexandria, an early Church father, speaks to this in his notable reflection.
“The Lord calls himself the vine and those united to him branches (John 15:5) in order to teach us how much we shall benefit from our union with him, and how important it is for us to remain in his love. By receiving the Holy Spirit, who is the bond of union between us and Christ our Savior, those who are joined to him, as branches are to a vine, share in his own nature.”
“On the part of those who come to the vine, their union with him depends upon a deliberate act of the will; on his part, the union is effected by grace. Because we had good will, we made the act of faith that brought us to Christ, and received from him the dignity of adoptive sonship that made us his own kinsmen, according to the words of Saint Paul: He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.”
St. Cyril of Alexandria, referred to as a “doctor of the church,” wrote these words in 331-334.