In the Mass, we pray
Grant that we, who are nourished by his body and blood, may be filled with his Holy Spirit, and become one body, one spirit in Christ. (Eucharistic Prayer III)
This is a prayer by which we express our desire to truly dwell in Christ, remaining in Him. In John 15:1-10, the vital relationship of the disciples and Christ is illustrated in the image of the Vine. The image is expressive in that it shows not only the kind of dependence the disciple has on the Lord but also how the Lord communicates His the Resurrected Life to his disciples. Read the article on John 15:1-8 here and use the following for your guide.
1. The Lord tells his disciples to remain in him. The Greek word used is menein which can also mean "abide, dwell". The Lord calls his disciples saying "Come, follow me." Now he tells them "Remain/Dwell/Abide in Me". Later he will tell them, "Go..." in an act of commissioning. Before he does commission them, he first tells them to make their dwelling in Him.
From the beginning, Jesus associated his disciples with his own life, revealed the mystery of the Kingdom to them, and gave them a share in his mission, joy, and sufferings. Jesus spoke of a still more intimate communion between him and those who would follow him: "Abide in me, and I in you. . . . I am the vine, you are the branches." And he proclaimed a mysterious and real communion between his own body and ours: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him." (CCC 787)
Reflect. One dwells in the Lord who identifies Himself as "the Bread Come Down from Heaven" (John 6) and the one who gives the waters that gurgle up to eternal life (John 4). In other words, one is vitally related to him through the waters of baptism and the Eucharist. The Easter life that we have received in baptism are nourished through the Sacraments. How do you approach the Sacraments?
2. If Jesus is the Vine and we are the Branches and the Father is the Vine-grower, it is the Holy Spirit that binds us in this vital communion of life. The Catechism states:
The Holy Spirit is like the sap of the Father's vine which bears fruit on its branches. The most intimate cooperation of the Holy Spirit and the Church is achieved in the liturgy. The Spirit who is the Spirit of communion, abides indefectibly in the Church. For this reason the Church is the great sacrament of divine communion which gathers God's scattered children together. Communion with the Holy Trinity and fraternal communion are inseparably the fruit of the Spirit in the liturgy. (CCC 1108)
Reflect. In the Mass, we pray that the Holy Spirit be sent upon us so that we who partake of the Eucharist may become the Body of Christ. Whenever you take part in the Eucharist or any liturgical act of the Church, it is the Holy Spirit who "connects" you vitally to Christ. How do you regard the Holy Spirit in your life?
3. The Lord is the true Vine and his disciples, the branches. It is through the word and Sacraments that disciples become fruitful in Him.
Jesus says: "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." The fruit referred to in this saying is the holiness of a life made fruitful by union with Christ. When we believe in Jesus Christ, partake of his mysteries, and keep his commandments, the Savior himself comes to love, in us, his Father and his brethren, our Father and our brethren. His person becomes, through the Spirit, the living and interior rule of our activity. "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." (CCC 2074)
Reflect. Our covenantal relationship with the Trinity is made possible by our "dwelling in the Lord". It is through this relationship that our lives too become fruitful. How do you cultivate your relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit?
