VINE AND THE BRANCHES

                             The Vine and the Branches

                                                                   Fr. Mervyn Carapiet

“I am the trusty Vine,

And you my Branches are.

Blest be he who adheres to me:

A branch that spreads afar.

True Vine am I;

So will you be,

If you but cling to me.

But more than cling,

For I shall bring

The sap that fructifies

That branch of mine,

To give sweet wine

For life that never dies.

Whichever branch that bears much fruit

My Father will renew

To feed my sheep more plenti’ly,

And bind them to the root.”

O Holy Vine, O Jesu Lord,

We love and cling to you.

O prune our hearts

And cleanse our minds,

And teach us how to bear you;

That men may taste and savour sweet

Your wine of truth and love,

And praise the Dresser of that Vine

He planted from above.

Amen.