predication.net

Where your treasure is, there is your heart.
Entrance to the church: solemn organ prelude.
Entrance song: We come to you 2x
Welcome by the priest
Dear children! The great day is here. This is the day of your first Holy Communion. I warmly welcome you, your parents, grandparents, brothers, and sisters on this festive day. Jesus is already knocking. He says to you. Child, open your heart to me. I want to make you rich and happy. Yes, dear children, you also want to be satisfied when Jesus dwells in your hearts. Jesus is God, Jesus loves you, and no one can give you as much as Jesus. Now I give the floor to the children.
Welcome by EK children
1st child Paul
Dear parishioners!
Today is the day. The day of our First Communion has finally arrived! We have been preparing for it for a long time. So we First Communion children would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you. We are happy to stand here to receive Jesus for the 1st time in the holy bread.
2nd child Pia
The theme of our First Communion is. Where your treasure is, so is your heart. Jesus himself is this precious treasure that we have discovered. He gives us gifts today in an extraordinary way. So let us make our hearts ready for it.
Act of Repentance
Priest: If we celebrate such a great feast today, we must do it in a community where everything that separates us and could hinder our encounter with Jesus is removed. The joy of the precious treasure is even greater.
Child 1: Jesus, you are invisible to our eyes and yet close to us. We do not always believe it.
2nd child: Jesus, you are like a good friend and companion. Sometimes we forget that.
3rd child: Jesus, you are like a precious treasure in my life. But often, something seems more important to me.
Song: Lord, have mercy
Priest: Almighty God, have mercy on us, forgive our sins, and lead us to eternal life.
Baptismal promise: Godparents go forward in pairs, light the baptismal candle on the Easter candle, present it to their godchild, and stand behind it.- Organ music
PRIEST’S INTRODUCTION: At the beginning of your life, your parents carried you to church to be baptized. They brought you to Jesus, the source of energy. At your baptism, the baptismal candle was lit in the same way. Your godparents or substitutes took the light from the Easter candle, which symbolizes Jesus himself. With this light in your hand and under the protection of your godparents, you will now make your baptismal vows:
At your baptism, you were still small. Your godparents answered for you. Today, you can answer Jesus himself. I ask you:
God created heaven and earth. He also gave us life. Like a good father and a loving mother, do you believe in God?
Yes, I believe!
Through Jesus, God showed us how much He loves us. Jesus died for us. He rose from the dead. Do you believe in Jesus?
Yes, I believe!
The Holy Spirit gives us joy in life. He makes us strong. He is our helper. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?
Yes, I believe.
Jesus wants to be our friend. Do you like this friendship with Jesus?
Yes, I do!
Jesus wants more joy, love, and peace in the world. Do you want to help make life on earth more beautiful?
Yes, I do!
/Children blow out candles and hand them to the godparents, who go into the pews/.
Gloria: Gloria, Gloria, Glory to God
Prayer of the day
Reading
Reading from the book of Proverbs/2,1-7a/
If you accept my words and heed my commandments, if you give ear to wisdom, if you incline your heart to insight, if you cry out for knowledge, if you ask for understanding with a loud voice, if you seek it like silver, if you search for it like for treasures, then you will understand God’s greatness and know what God is like. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and insight. For those who strive to live well, he has helped in-store.
Word of the living God.
Thanks are to God
Interlude: Word, word, God’s word.
Evangelism: Where your treasure is, there your heart is also Lk 12, 33-34
Homily
Dear children, today is a great day for you. You are going to receive Jesus in your heart for the first time. You already know who Jesus is. Jesus is our greatest treasure. I ask you a question: do you know what is asked of you? It is love. Will it be difficult for you to awaken love in yourselves before Holy Communion? Certainly not. You only need to remember how dear Jesus is to you. He gave his life for you. How much he must love you! And it was not enough for him to give his life for you. In Holy Communion, he wants to give himself entirely to you. He wants to be in you and remain in you. Before Holy Communion, think of his love and goodness and say, “Oh, Jesus, when I think of how much you love me, I know what I would like to tell you. I want to love you with all my heart. I love you more than anything in the world. I want to be entirely your child. I want to be all yours and always do only what you want me to do. How can you awaken love before Holy Communion? If you love Jesus, you will undoubtedly have desire and longing for him. Say to Jesus: Oh, Jesus, come to me at last. My heart is already longing for you. You are all my happiness; you are my treasure. Jesus will gladly come to you when he sees that you long for him. And what will you think after Holy Communion, and what will you say to Jesus? First of all, remember who is with you now. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. Jesus is sitting in heaven on an indescribably gloriously luminous throne. Around him, Our Lady and the innumerable hosts of angels and saints are standing and kneeling, singing their praises to him. After Holy Communion, however, Jesus has also opened his throne in your hearts. You can say to him: Holy, holy, holy are you, Jesus. All the world is full of your glory. So what is the first thing you should do after Holy Communion? You should worship Jesus. What will be the second thing? You must thank Jesus. He is always exceedingly kind and bountiful to you. But he gives you the greatest and the best in Holy Communion. There he shows himself to you. There is nothing more significant and more beautiful if he gives himself, his body and blood, his soul, his divinity to you, how dear he must be to you. Thank him for it with all your heart. Say to him: I thank you, Jesus, for loving me and coming to me. Because Jesus will give himself entirely to you, you should also provide him with something. What do you think? He wants you to give him your heart. Therefore, after Holy Communion, say to Him. Oh, Jesus, with joy, I now give you my heart and myself ultimately. Amen
Intercessions
Let us now pray to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He has prepared the table for us and given us the food of life.
1st child: Good God, we are happy that we can receive communion for the first time today. This is an excellent day for us. Open our hearts to this gift and let us feel that the Holy Bread is a precious treasure that makes our lives rich.
All: We ask you to hear us.
2nd child: Communion means community. We have prepared together for a great feast. It was wonderful. Let us come here often in the future and celebrate with you.
Mother: Good God, when we baptized our children, we promised that we would be an excellent example for them and help them grow more and more into the Christian community. Grant that our children may feel that your love for us and faith in you are treasures that give meaning and depth to our lives.
Father: Good God, there is so much that can make our lives rich. Our children are such a treasure of it. You have entrusted them to us, and we thank you for it. We want to encourage and accompany them in love so that they can develop their abilities and use them for themselves and others.
Table Mother: Good God, we table mothers have accompanied these children for a while, and together with them, we have tried to get to know you better and better. Together, we experienced beautiful hours when we could discover many new treasures of life and faith. For this, we thank you. Grant that you will not only be incredibly precious to them today but that Jesus is the Holy Bread will continually strengthen and accompany them.
Priest: Merciful God, hear these and all other petitions, through Christ our Lord. Amen
Offertory Song: In the gifts, we bring 1-3 parts.
Offertory: 5 children bring bread, wine, and candles to the altar.
Priest. Pray to God the Father Almighty, brothers and sisters, that He may accept this gift for His praise and the salvation of the whole Church.
1. child /bread/ Good God, we bring you bread. It grew from many grains. Again and again, it had to change. Transform it into your body.
2nd child /Cup/ Good God, we bring the wine. From many sweet grapes, it was pressed. Let this wine be a sign of joy and communion.
3rd child/candle/ We also bring our candles to the altar. They are a sign of your warmth and closeness. Whenever they burn, they remind us that you are there.
Priest: Good God, we have brought bread, wine, and candles to the altar. We need solid food to live, but love, security, and meaning. Transform these gifts for us into the treasure of life. Let us recognize in them Jesus, who is always there for us.
Daily Prayer
Preface
Sanctus
Our Father prayed-children joined hands and formed a circle with priests and altar servers.
Greeting of peace: Squeeze hands-peace passes through all.
Agnus Dei prayed
Song before communion: Bread in my hand
Communion: children all go in pairs to the center aisle.
Organ music
Prayer of Thanksgiving:
1st child: Good God! You have given us rich gifts today. We thank you for everything. We thank you, especially for Jesus, who came to us in the holy bread and made our lives even more prosperous.
2nd child: Now we also want to thank all those who celebrated with us. We thank you heartfelt to those who helped make this day a beautiful celebration.
Song of thanks: We say thank you
Closing prayer
Benediction:
Theme: Great God, we praise you.
Excerpt
Community photo

Being a friend of Jesus

We were each brought up in a family community or a social home. And so, each one of us was obligated to keep specific rules or house rules that were mandated. We all had to submit to a particular order – we had to stay in that order.

Today, Jesus calls each of us, “Abide in my love. I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (Jn 15:10n). In the word abide, we might say that Jesus seems to be saying to us: submit.
Today, it is lovely to see how Jesus calls us to abide in his love. Jesus is already clearly indicating to the disciples his departure – he is going to the Father through death. Jesus has gone to prepare the way for us. He is the Way to the Father, but he is also the Way and the Life. God’s truth, then, is not a doctrine but a person. Each individual will grasp this truth to the extent that they can be captivated and transformed by it.
The reality of the joy that Jesus wants to infuse into our hearts should be confident in his love. This confidence will stir us to the fact that we have here the one who laid down his life on the cross, freed us from sin, and brought us into his light. Jesus wants to show us that joy is a gift that we feel vividly in the moments of being filled with his grace. We must realize that we cannot live without God and his commands. Today, Jesus wants us to give ourselves entirely to Him by keeping His commandments.

In her words, Mother Teresa urges us, “Joy must be a fundamental feature of our lives. We may have nothing to give, but we will always be able to give the joy that flows from a heart that loves God. Joy is always contagious. Whenever you go to the sick, be full of joy.”

So too, if we do the commands of Jesus, we experience joy and peace and can say, as St. Augustine said, “I believe in whom I have believed.” Jesus wants to give each one of us his love, but it is clear that he wants us to fulfill his request – to keep what he has commanded us. We, too, want to get something, but without a condition, without having to do something. Let’s look at Jesus: he had to keep what God commanded him to keep. He, too, was `submitted’ to God. Only he who abides in God will be filled with joy.

Every day we should ask ourselves: “`Have I fulfilled all that God wanted of me? Have I kept His commandments?” We need to turn to the Lord every day for help, to remember His commands. Jesus Christ came down from heaven to us humans and allowed Himself to be imprisoned and condemned to death so that we might be freed from our sins and guilt. Jesus wants a radical decision from us. Many times the apostles also faced the question of judgment. They were the ones who made the first serious decisions for the future of the Church. After all, no one has greater love than the one who sent me. Yes, only God is the greatest friend of us all. We need to trust Him and turn to Him in our weaknesses, and only then will the knowledge of His faithfulness grow in our hearts, and this knowledge will change us.

A particular mother who had a large family had to take her picture. She looked very solemn. But the photographer said to her: “You better smile.” The mother tried to do so. However, the photographer kept saying, “Don’t look stern and sad, as if your house is on fire.” And as she struggled to look more pleasant, the photographer added, “Don’t think of your domestic worries but think of the honor and well-being of being the mother of a family. Think of the reward God will give you one day.”
Click! And done. “Thank you!” She exclaimed: “But I’m ten years younger here when she saw the photo!” “Not at all, but you have a joyful look, which you should always have because you have every reason to be.” These words stuck in the brave lady’s mind. They were repeated to her every morning and evening when she worked and rested. Her husband said to her a few days later, “You seem younger every day. Are you enjoying something, or have you found some `wish’?” The man was right – a mother’s cheerfulness is the source of true family well-being.

We can add that following Christ and abide by his love is to be the happiest person. Only the person who experiences Christ’s love daily can bear witness to it in his life.

Lord Jesus, fill our interior with your peace and grant us to keep your commands forever. Fill our hearts with your love so that we may give your joy to all those around us. Amen.

Those who have committed themselves to following Jesus must often find that love is pursued by hate. This is the sad consequence of original sin. People who hate God also hate those who try to live for God by love. It is not rare for love and goodness to be repaid with hatred.

Today’s Gospel speaks to this theme as well. The Lord Jesus wants to warn His beloved of something great. The apostles and all his brothers and sisters to the end of the world who fulfill his command of love in their lives. Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you” (Jn 15:18). And he will immediately explain why this hatred: ‘If you were of the world, the world would love what its own is, but because you are not of the world because I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you (Jn 15:19).

These words belong to the second part of the Lord Jesus’ farewell discourse at the Last Supper. And specifically, a discordant tone has crept into that message of love, by which he wants to prepare his apostles for the fact that although they will try to sow love around them, they will reap the hatred of the world in return for this effort because not all of them have Jesus as the leader in their lives. Those who don’t have him hate Jesus, and because his disciples belong to Christ, a wave of hatred similar to that of Christ himself will overtake them. Except that Jesus has chosen them out of the world, that is, out of the power of evil, they no longer belong to the world, and for this, the world knows how to take revenge, for the world loves only what is its, what does not transgress its boundaries, its principles, and its way of life.
Therefore, the world’s revenge for its friendship with Jesus is most often manifested in the persecution of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus draws their attention to this and, at the same time, wants to comfort them, to encourage them that the world has also repaid him in this way. At these words, the apostles begin to realize their union, their union with Christ, that they will have to suffer from Christ, but that they will also recognize the joy of the successes they will achieve in spreading the gospel of Jesus. Because many people will come to faith and believe in the Lord Jesus, the number of Christians will multiply.

Likewise, we must expect to avoid the hatred of the world because of the teachings of Jesus. Therefore, we must reckon with the world’s disfavor, we will experience humiliation, and we must even assess with persecution, for Christ’s sake. This is the tax that the Christian pays for his obedience and faithfulness to Christ. We must come to terms with this and not look for an escape route.

We realize that when confrontations with evil occur in our lives, this too is necessary for the Christian life. The history of the Church tells us of the countless multitude of those whom the world hated and had to lay down their lives for God.

We remember St. Stanislaus, Bishop of Cracow, whom the king has executed as an inconvenient man. We remember Pope Martin I, who guides the Church in difficult times, the boat of Peter. Although he had to sacrifice his own life, he did not betray. We remember George, who, as a soldier and commander, knows how to consider who is the superior officer and so prefers martyrdom.

But they did not all die a martyr’s death. We have a long line of confessors: Dominic Savio dies young, but he kept the password from the day he was at his first Holy Communion: Rather die than sin. St. Athanasius, the bishop, often had to face jokes, yet he prevailed. He remained faithful to Christ, even though he had to live in a cemetery for several months, etc… They are an example for us not to lose our serenity in difficulties and persevere faithfully in our duties. He who perseveres to the end will overcome.

Let us have no fear when the world hates us, for Christ’s sake. We are to thank the Lord Jesus that He has counted us worthy to bear witness to His teaching – LOVE.

In May, we honor uniquely / through May devotions/ Virgin Mary, even though we do not have an important feast of Mary in the liturgical calendar this month. This month, we have only a non-binding reminder: Memorial Day of Our Lady of Fatima, May 13. Where does Marian’s spirituality come from, and where does it lead us?
The month of May has always been the month of Mary in the Church. In modern terms, the initiator of the Marian month/ with mai devotions/ in modern terms was the Jesuit Dionisi with his work: Messe di Maria, printed in Verone/Italy/in 1725. The Popes like Pius VII, Gregory XVI, and Pius IX endowed May devotions with indulgences. Popes Leo XIII and Pius XII especially recommended the May devotions. St. Pope Paul VI gave the encyclical Mense Maio, in which Paul VI encourages the faithful to these devotions so that they can for the needs of the Church. This year the month of May falls in the Paschal season. At this time, we celebrate the crowning of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. This redemptive work is inseparably linked to the task of Mary. And therefore, the honor of Mary has its rightful place at this time. Mary is never in the foreground of Jesus, but she is closely connected with him and cooperates with him on his mission. In the Holy Scriptures, we find the mention of her. And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room, where they remained both Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphäus, and Simon the Zealot, and Jude, the brother of James. These all remained with one accord in prayer with some women and Mary, the mother of Jesus and his brothers. Acts. 1,13,14.
Mary did not consider her task here on earth to be finished after Christ’s ascension. Before death, Jesus entrusted all of us to her. She is not only the Mother of God but also the Mother of the Church, the help of Christians. That is why Mary always remains actively present. Mary practically helped the first Church. After Mary’s death, there was always the living practice of prayers and devotions to Mary in the Church. In her presence, we can feel more secure in all the difficulties of our life, like a kind and caring mother. We can learn the art of prayer, either personal or communal.
If today we state that we are experiencing the difficult times. That we do not even fall into the temptation of hopelessness or resignation, all the more we need to form a strong community of living faith and love. In this community, all our prayers and sacrifices are strengthened by the intercession of our Heavenly Mother, who is actively present in the Church even today.
The month of May is also incredibly dedicated to Mary, but this does not mean that we should neglect Mary in the other months. On the contrary. May devotions should encourage and renew us in this devotion throughout the year. Let us make the most of May; let us draw into our hearts new reinforcement for deeper spiritual life, using Mary, whom God has given us as Mother and Mediatrix of all graces.
Ó Mary, Mother of Mercy
take care of us all
so that the cross of Christ may not be in vain for us
so that man may not stray from the path of goodness
and does not lose the consciousness of sin
and that his hope in God may grow
who is rich in mercy
so that he may do good deeds of his own will
and so he does all his life through.
To the praise of his glory.
John Paul

Today, it is common knowledge that the world is flooded with streams of words. The language of propaganda and advertisements is how powerful and wealthy are in terms of where goods are offered, sold, and everyone wants to sell to get the best. And people build their careers on words, talk, rant, blatantly lie, and see only profit, material gain, and wealth here on earth. And therefore, let us not be surprised that in this abundance of words, man also commits treachery on words that have nothing to do with his business, and these words mean something much more valuable, more beautiful than mere enrichment, material, and material gain.

Among these words is the word – LOVE. This word is spoken, sung, and talked about in various forms and variations, but typically to our detriment and falsely, for we should all long for the actual content of this word. Therefore, we must not be silent. We must speak, but without pretense, deceit, or falsification of the content of this word.

Let us ask at the outset: Is not the notion of the word love, even in my case as a Christian, just something soulless? As Christians, we are obliged to realize that to love a person means that we must unite.

The central theme of today’s liturgical readings at Mass exists the word love. It is mainly about love for another person. But in doing so, we cannot speak of love for our neighbor if we do not speak of love for God. The readings remind us that we will only truly love God if we also love our neighbors.
The Lord Jesus says: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12).

Jesus’ appeal to active love for our neighbor has its justification and place. The Lord Jesus spoke these words shortly before His departure from this world. It is an excerpt from His beautiful address to His disciples. When Jesus said this as He bade His disciples farewell, it must have mattered to Him. Jesus wants them to love one another. But how? He answers this question for himself, “…as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12). And as Jesus loved us: “Greater love has no one than this, than he who lays down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13).

From this, we see that our love for our neighbor must be the same for Jesus. Let us try to pause in our reflection and consider the main features of this discourse of Jesus.

We encounter the command to love our neighbor already in the Old Testament. But this command had different content. It was then held that it was sufficient to love one’s neighbor to about the same extent as one’s blood relative or birth relative. This command did not apply to foreigners. The New Testament already expresses a new understanding that we are to love all people of all nationalities, colors, etc.
This command also applies to the love of enemies. We have plenty of evidence for this from the teachings of Jesus. Perhaps you, brothers and sisters, would like to have a discreet conversation with Jesus on this subject. Are we really to love even our enemies? But we realize that when Jesus said it, we are not to doubt it. That is his will, and that is Jesus’ teaching. He knows best what we are to do and what will do us the best. Therefore, let us trust Jesus.

Loving another person already has a basis in natural causes and esoteric teachings. Above all, it stems from respect for the other person. All men are equal. Everyone is human and has the right to be treated as such. Therefore, we are to see in every man a brother. Whether he is black or white, whether he has ordinary eyes or slanting eyes, he is a human being. Therefore, a cordial and friendly environment must be created among human beings. If we also remember that every human being is made in the image of God, that he has something of God in him, the more he has a right to our love.
The Lord Jesus loved all men because He saw the image of His Father in their faces. In His love, He went so far as to kneel before men, as He did in the case of the apostles when He knelt to wash their feet. But see also when He died on the cross for us all. He could rightly say then: “Greater love has no one than this than he who lays down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). Only Jesus and no one else has given us more beautiful proof of love. All similar examples of sacrificial love are but poor imitations of Christ. They are, however, imitable if we do them for Christ’s sake.
What does it mean to abide in the love of Jesus? It means putting ourselves in the needs of other people. To love is not just to talk the talk, but we are to do the deed. True love for our neighbor is humble. It has characteristics of suddenness and gentleness. It does not want to be known, to be glorified. It rejoices in unobtrusively fulfilling its mission.
In accord with Holy Scripture, love is more joyful when we give than when we receive. True love can be likened to a river into which new tributaries constantly flow. As waters fertilize a vast landscape, so true love enriches many. It is well known that no act done out of love goes unanswered, but a new act of love is born. A man who loves his neighbor does not grow old because he still feels joy in the happiness of others.

Dearest Ones, this is something for us. Everyone wants to be happy. And in the words of Jesus, we find the prescription.

Brothers and sisters, it is a great joy for parents to look into their child’s face and see their face in it. When a father holds his son in his arms, we involuntarily look for similarities in features and later characters. Our human sight wants to penetrate it all. : we would like to see.

Even the apostles wanted to see the Father. And Jesus answers in amazement, “Philip, I have been with you so long, and you do not know me? Whoever sees me sees the Father…” (Jn 14:9).

This passage from the Gospel of John again contains one almost `amazing’ point – a misunderstanding in the dialogue between Jesus and his disciples. Jesus’ thinking is radically different. Once again, he is out of step with his surroundings. He transcends the myopia of human ideas. Philip indeed asked quite sincerely – even plainly.
But… it’s best if we put ourselves “in the shoes” of Philip for a moment and imagine Jesus addressing us by name as well, asking, “You’ve been with me so long, and you don’t know me?”
That’s how long you’ve been with us, Lord – years, decades… That’s how long we’ve been praying for you, trying to communicate with you, pleading with you… Many of us could confess our personal experience of Christ, yet we still don’t know him, we doubt… We want to see the Father as if the Son were not enough. And that’s the minor problem with our relationship.

Especially in the 1990s, Father & Son type companies appeared in our living space like mushrooms after the rain. What has been a decade or more long tradition in Western economies? Father and son – continuity of life, ideas, work… What a natural thing. Quite close to us.

Something similar, but an entirely different relationship quality, is presented today by Jesus. Our quality of relationship with Jesus is also built on the understanding of the phrase, “He who sees Me sees the Father.” Notice that everything Jesus does, he builds it up in people’s hearts and does not just bind it to his person. He is constantly talking about the Father. And we always feel the warmth of the relationship between him and the Father – we think it in his words, his attitudes. The Father’s whole life is determined by unity with the Son and vice versa.

Today is a new challenge for our faith. A faith that goes beyond parochialism to persons is faith in the Trinity – in a relationship that produces love. He who loves is very close to seeing more than Philip saw. To see the Father in the Son. That he not be seduced by the temptation of our experience, which presents the relationship of father and son as a struggle, a competition, and sometimes even hatred.

Jesus spoke to the apostles and another lesson of the Gospel that is of fundamental importance for us. The Father-Son relationship is eternal, and we are called to live in his image already here on earth. The Father-Son relationship is existential for each of us. In a sense: it determines our whole life. Let us not be afraid to embrace this mystery of the relationship between the Father and the Son, for only it will teach us to live our fatherhood and our sonship properly. Each of us is both father and son. If this is not the case, there is still a long way to go…

We know that cutting the power lines doesn’t turn on our light bulbs, lamps, or motors. We understand that a broken water line won’t quench our thirst. We know that what is interrupted is not fit for purpose and that eventually, we will know the natural consequences of the interruption.
In the spiritual life, it is similar. With the Church, breaking contact with God means stopping praying, stopping participating in worship, and stopping accessing the sacraments. Eventually, we also find that much has changed, and for us believers, in that case, only for the worse. Let us try to reflect on this subject today.

The Gospel tells us of a beautiful parable that the Lord Jesus told His listeners shortly before His Passion. The Lord Jesus wanted to remind everyone, including us, of what is most precious in the life of a Christian. It is man’s complete and most perfect union with God. He could not have portrayed this truth better than by a familiar simile to all His hearers. The Israelites had many vineyards. As the Lord Jesus looked at the vine bushes, He said: “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abided in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5).

The Lord Jesus compares Himself to a vine and us to a branch. His speech is multifaceted. He tells us that just as the twig lives only when joined to the bush, man can live life to the full only when perfectly joined to God.
What does this imply? First of all, the connection cannot only be half-hearted. A broken branch still draws the necessary nourishment from the bush, but only partially. We can say that it is still alive, but it is incomplete. It is in danger of being cut off from the bush and burnt. Thus, it will cause itself and the cru a nuisance. Similarly, we can speak of a completely severed twig who would like to live an independent life. Its fate is already sealed. It will wither; it will dry up. It fades because it is deprived of the life-giving sap that can only be drawn from the mother’s grain.
It is most beautiful when the twig is intact and connected to the bush. Only it can give it what it needs to live and bear fruit. The Lord Jesus cares deeply that we live, flowering branches on the bush himself. He is all about authentic connection. We can also say that we are to be as perfectly united to Christ as possible.

The Lord Jesus says: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask what you will, and it shall be done for you. My Father is glorified in that you bear much fruit and become my disciples” (Jn. 15:7).

These words of Jesus are unequivocal. Thus, Jesus longs for our complete union with him. In such union, the terms of St. Paul the Apostle are fulfilled upon us: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). This is all the more solemn because Jesus Himself asks us to do so. And let us realize that when Jesus asks, we should not resist. [This is his will. These are words that were very dear to the heart of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, let us persevere in complete union with Him.

What fruit can we expect from this union? Above all, an excellent immunity against our inward evil inclinations. Neither the devil, sin nor the world, with all its seductions, will harm him who lives with Jesus. Such a person feels strong because Jesus is in him, and he is in him. We can also say that Jesus thinks, does, and decides for him. He who leans on Christ depends on an irrefutable rock. It pays, therefore, to be united with Christ.
Another consequence of this union is the strengthening of our faith. A united person is more conscious of his faith than anyone else. Such a one can say with St. Paul, “I know whom I have believed…” (2 Tim. 1:12). Such a person shows his faith in deeds. We can say that he lives his faith daily. There is no difference between what he says and what he does in his life. Unificationism makes his life like the life of the Lord Jesus.
Another consequence of our union with Christ is the multiplication of our love. Because of this union, love grows, becoming as powerful as death. Therefore, such love enriches us and helps us gain much merit. Thanks to it, we then live the entire life of God’s children. Enriched by such love, we do not calculate whether such a union will pay off because we trust Christ that he is the only one who will help us develop our Christian life. Such a life to which the Lord Jesus himself invites us and in which he sees the true meaning of life.

We live in a great hurry. We often say: I have no time. Therefore, we do not notice something beneficial for our life because it passes through our hands without a severe moment of stopping. This Gospel, too, speaks of a powerful and necessary matter for each of us. Jesus wants so much for us to be inseparably together.