It is a comfort to know that no matter how alone we feel or how difficult our situation we are not alone at all; Jesus is always with us.  Jesus assures us of this truth in the Gospel today:  “Remain in me, as I remain in you.” And “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.”  One of the most vital ways that we keep Jesus in us and us in Him is through the Holy Eucharist; the Body and Blood of our Lord.  Because the Eucharist is transformed for us to be the Body and Blood of Jesus we are physically able to take within us His presence.  That’s very powerful.  The act of receiving the Eucharist and the knowledge of what this Sacrament is and does for us is vital for our personal faith and relationship with Jesus. 

God is the vineyard grower, Jesus is the vine and we are the branches.  A vine requires careful pruning so that it will bear fruit.  Saul, who became Paul and a devout apostle of Christ Jesus, had a powerful experience with Jesus on the road to Damascus.  This experience was the pruning of Saul, removing the dead and bad wood leaving the healthy living vine to grow and thrive.  We can imagine that there was much pruning needed to create Paul out of Saul because he was one of the greatest enemies of the early Christian church.  He persecuted many.  And yet that diseased and dying branch was pruned and nurtured to produce abundant fruit!  Like Saul, we too need pruning to rid ourselves of layers of pride and prejudice and fear so that God may work powerfully through us as he did through Paul. 

Paul spoke “…boldly in the name of the Lord…” but where did he receive that courage?  Imagine how much the Apostles distrusted Paul when he came within their midst because he had previously mounted such a brutal campaign against them?  How did they overcome their fear?  In both cases the desire for intimate communion with Jesus was the driving force which allowed Paul and the Apostles to submit to being pruned by God to remove first Saul’s hatred and then the mistrust of the Apostles.  All trusted in the Lord so deeply that they submitted to the pruning willingly knowing that the rewards would be great.

Let’s ask ourselves, do we boldly speak of the Gospel to those we know and those we do not?  I was reminded today that it is our duty to speak the Gospel, to live the Gospel, and provide the Gospel to those who have not received it, but we cannot force someone to accept it.  When we have delivered the Gospel we have done our job and after that it is up to God to prune the branch to accept the water of life.  We are not expected to beat our heads against a wall to force someone to the truth.

The second reading encourages us to “…love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.”  St. Francis said, “Preach the Gospel always; if necessary use words.”  How difficult would it be for you to take weight loss advice from someone who is overweight?  In that spirit, our actions are an indication of our heart.  You cannot be a speaker of the Gospel and not a doer.  You cannot have saving faith without changing your behavior.  This is our struggle, to overcome our free will and our pride.  By submitting to God’s loving pruning we can rid ourselves of our destructive and obstructive pride and harness our free will.  A lot of change all at once may not be manageable, but making small changes can be successful and will inspire others who notice the positive changes in you and desire it in their own lives!

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

Amen!

The Psalm this week is Psalm 22:  I Will Praise You Lord