Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit
"Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing." (John 15:4-5)
How do we bear much fruit? Abide in Christ. What is the principle of productivity? Abide in Christ. What does abiding in Christ mean? Abiding in Christ means that we are solidly and completely attached to Christ just as a branch is attached to the trunk of a tree. The detached branch has no life of its own. It withers and dies.
How do we abide in Christ? When we are baptized, Christ lives in us as our hope of glory. The most Holy Trinity takes it abode in our soul. We sustain this supernatural life in us by means of prayer and feeding on the word of God. Jesus Christ gives us His flesh and blood for our food. This is the most direct and concrete way in which Christ abides in us. We respond with faith and use prayer and the word of God to keep this communion alive.
If the communion with Christ is broken by sin, Christ has given us the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a means of cleansing us and reestablishing the communion.
Our fruitfulness depends therefore on this dynamic relationship with Christ in us our hope of victory and glory.
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23-Psalm1to2