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. Jn 15
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. Jn 15
Jesus remains in us, like a vine which
gives life to the branches. He is awaiting
our call, sending His Spirit, calling on His Father on our behalf. Jesus remains
in us, going before us, accompanying us on the way, preparing a place
where He can bring us to Himself.
Jesus remains in us through the
community of the Trinity. The Father plants His Son in us as a luxuriant vine
and grafts us in as His branches. As a vine turns to the sun, we share in the Son’s constant turning to the Father. As the Spirit is
the Gift breathed forth by the Father and the Son, so it becomes
our life, keeping the branches alive.
Jesus remains in us as truth. He calls us forth to
encounter this truth, especially through the witness of our
conscience. Our conscience helps us to recognize what the Father must prune
away. Through it we recognize the truth about ourselves. This truth does not lead
to us despair, even when our hearts condemn us, because Jesus is both truth and
mercy. His forgiveness is “greater than our hearts.”
Jesus remains in us, actively seeking our good.
Excerpts from this Sunday's homily by Father Vincent
