Boy is that the truth. I was in the Twin Cities over the weekend watching my boys play rugby in a driving snowstorm.
Record highs forecast for today in the Big D. Supposed to hit 94 today ... and the air conditioner in my car is still broken. :o( Oh, well ... at least I can look forward to tomorrow when the high will be in the 70s where it should be this time of year. :o)
| Wednesday, May 1, 2002 St. Joseph the Worker (Optional Memorial) |
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I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him ... bears much fruit. (John 15:5)
First Reading
Acts 15:1-6
Some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, reporting the conversion of the Gentiles, and they gave great joy to all the brethren. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up, and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses." The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.
Responsorial Psalm From
Psalm 122
I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord!" Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem, built as a city which is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.
Gospel
John 15:1-8
Jesus said to his disciples, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples."
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What do you think it means to abide in Jesus? Faith? Trust? Obedience? Yes -- all of these. Can you believe that Jesus wants you to have an intimate relationship with him? Can you hear him imploring you to abide in his love, not so that he will bear fruit and live, but so that you will? Jesus knows that we need to depend on him for all of our wisdom, strength, and hope.
Using the analogy of a vine and its branches, Jesus promised that if we allow his word to find a place in the center of our lives, we can become very fruitful. The converse is just as true: Apart from him, we will wither away and die.
It all sounds so simple. We only need to stay close to him through faith and obedience. And yet, we all know how easy it can be to lose contact with Jesus during the day! Even after praying in the morning, we may get caught up in the pressures and demands of our day and slowly wander away from Jesus and the sustenance he brings. It's especially during these times that we must understand how vital our link to Jesus is, and that we do everything we can to maintain it.
When situations threaten to rob us even a little bit, let us pray that Jesus will come to us immediately and restore us to his presence. Abiding in Jesus is the highest privilege that any of us can know, and it is always ours. All God asks is that we practice remaining in him. In the midst of our day, we can take steps to hold on to Jesus. It really is possible to remain continuously intimate with the Master!
"Holy Spirit, please nudge me during the day to remain present to Jesus through faith, trust, and obedience. I know that without Jesus, I can bear no fruit for God's kingdom; I will wither and die."
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God bless.
AC