The Gospel for Sunday, May 2, is John 15:1-8
1. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches
Just as the branch grows out of the vine, so the Christian grows out of Christ. The branch is an extension of the vine, and the Christian is an extension of Christ.
If he remains in Christ …
2. Key Words
Remain in me and I will remain in you – In the original of the Gospel, the Greek verb here is to remain (menein). It literally means “to be stable,” not just to stop for a while.
“To be stable” with Jesus means to live in a state of sanctifying grace and go to confession regularly. It also means turning to Jesus in prayer. Now, the most important prayer is the Holy Mass. Nothing can replace the adoration of the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing – Time devoted to prayer is never wasted time—this was emphasized by St. John Paul II, who prayed a lot, although he had so much to do. Activity comes from prayer.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you – Jesus’ words remain in us when we read and meditate on the Holy Scriptures and live according to them. This is how we get to know Jesus better. When in doubt about what to do, it is always good to ask: What would Jesus do in my place?
3. Today
For our own good, it is worth asking ourselves this question: Am I remaining, that is, am I in a stable relationship with Jesus? Do I have time for him?
And today we celebrate...