Let us remain faithful to Christ.

Often we may try to bargain with Jesus, perhaps in the manner of, “I love all men. But do not ask me to do good to my neighbor… that I should always have to `sacrifice’ myself in the family… At work, too, everyone uses me…” …and many other questions pop up in one’s mind day in and day out.

It is also necessary for us to remember to keep our lives rooted and directed only to God. For just today. He calls us, “Abide in me and I in you…. for without me, you can do nothing.” And he goes on to say: “Whoever abides in me bears much fruit.” (Jn. 15:4, 5). Can we say why such a radical command is Jesus telling us to `stay in me’? Yes, Jesus knows that the world is filled with hatred, and  malice and this can pull a person to this side. To stay with Jesus means: to accept his teaching and follow him. To willingly serve him and be his disciple. Staying with Jesus doesn’t mean simply staying present, nor does it mean simply performing certain acts that we think will fulfill our commitment to God. Abiding in Jesus is first and foremost a matter of the heart – a response to his love for us, and a personal and compelling one.

Often, too, we are only rarely tolerant and rarely accept the truth of others. Perhaps the greatest fact remains that we humans today are very one-sided. We want everyone to think the way we do because we are convinced that our view is the most correct one. Jesus wants us to be partakers of the very life of God. In baptism, we become children of God and members of his body, which is the Church. Jesus wants us to share in the fullness of what he himself has.

Let us try to look at the trunk of the tree and the branches. Together they form the same being – unity, together, they feed and act and bear the same fruit because they are nourished by the same sap. We, too, are to be continually nourished by the sap of Christ – his body and blood, for it is only in him that we move and have our being. Only in him can we say: “My Lord and my God.” Only in him are our faith, hope, and love.

The Holy Scriptures tell us: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance.” (Gal. 5:22). And just as a tree bears fruit to the extent that it is rooted in good soil, so we bear fruit to the time that we are rooted in Christ. The fruit of the Spirit will be manifested in our lives if we learn to abide by the love and power of Jesus. Only then will we love others if we experience God’s love for ourselves. To abide in Christ is to offer our hearts to the Lord and allow his Spirit to minister to others through us.

For St. John received a revelation when he allowed Jesus to fill his mind and heart. St. John Bosco was an Italian peasant with little education, but by submitting his life to the Spirit, he was able to evangelize thousands of young boys and save them from a life of poverty and violence.

An educated pagan, travelling in Europe, met a Catholic priest on a train. He asked him more out of curiosity than sincere interest: “What are the fundamental principles of your religion and Christian doctrine?” Instead of answering, the priest reached for his Catechism and handed it to the stranger. The latter consulted the book but then objected: “I don’t have time to read and study everything. Could you not give me a shorter table of contents of the Christian religion?”
The priest thought for a moment, then pointed to a place in the catechism, “I believe in God…”
The stranger read it but immediately objected again: “Even these principles, so concise and comprehensive, would need further explanation, and we will part in a moment. Could you not express to me still more briefly and more clearly the essence of your religion?”
Again the priest thought for a moment and then answered gravely, almost solemnly, in the words of the Lord Jesus in the Holy Gospel, “Thou shalt love thy God above all things, and thy neighbor as thyself.” The stranger was surprised. He thought and said nothing. In a moment, as the priest was about to get off the train, he shook his hand and said: “Truly, there can be no more beautiful religion than yours, which has such principles!”

Sure enough, this stranger may have understood the words to mean that to stay with Jesus was to accept his teachings and follow him, to serve him and be his disciple willingly. Yes, having radical positions is necessary, and continue standing up for God’s truth.

It is appropriate, now, to say to ourselves: “I need to be rooted and perfected in God’s perfection. Lord Jesus, my soul is comforted by you. I place my hope in you, who know all things, see all things, love all things, and fulfill all things. Lord Jesus, I offer you my heart – penetrate it with your presence and love.