Remain

Wed., May 6, 2026 – Wed in the Fifth Week of Easter – Year A, Cycle 2

Acts 15:1–6, Psalm 122:1–5, John 15:1–8

“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.”
John 15:4

Today, Jesus is emphasizing the critical nature of living our lives united to Him, just as a branch is to a vine. He tells us that every branch that does not bear fruit will be removed from the vine and thrown into the fire, and those that do bear fruit will be pruned so that they will bear more fruit.

If we apply this message to our lives, the question arises: what could cause us as Christians to damage or break our relationship with Jesus so completely that we bear no fruit and, when our earthly life is completed, we are thrown into the fire? The answer, of course, is sin, both venial sin, which damages our relationship with Jesus, and most especially mortal sin, which completely breaks our relationship with the Lord. Because of our sinful nature, every one of us has committed and unfortunately will continue to commit both of these types of sin during our lives. God knows we are weak; He knows we often fall to temptation, yet He still loves us and wants more than anything for us to turn away from our sin and back to Him.

Our first reading tells us where we should go to repair the damage we have done through sin and restore our relationship with God so that we are able to bear good fruit for the Lord again. It reminds us that when we are in any type of spiritual dilemma, we should do exactly what Paul and Barnabas did. We should go to the Church Jesus handed down to us for answers, answers based on the teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, the Church that gives us authoritative answers through Sacred Scripture, through Sacred Tradition given to us by the Apostles, and the Magisterium, or teaching authority of the Church, that was given to St. Peter by Jesus.

In the case of sin, the answer the Church gives us is the ultimate tool for the cleaning and repair of our souls. It’s called the Sacrament of Confession, in which we are not only forgiven of our sins but strengthened by the sanctifying grace we receive in the sacrament to truly live our act of contrition, to sin no more, and avoid the near occasion of sin. We don’t have to beat ourselves up, we don’t have to be overly scrupulous, we just have to go to the Lord. From personal experience, I can tell you that through regular Confession, God will change our hearts and strengthen us in a miraculous way, from the inside out.

When a tree or a vine is pruned, it can seem harsh. A lot may be cut away. Every time I prune a tree around the house, my wife tells me I’m cutting way too much. Sometimes she’s right, but when done correctly, it always produces more fruit. In the same way, when we humble ourselves to the Lord in Confession, when we spend time with Him in prayer, when we practice self-denial, and when we take time out of what we want to do to do works of mercy for others, we are being pruned for greater future things in the Lord.

After cleaning and repairing our relationship with God, we are much better prepared to go deeper in our relationship with the Lord through the Scriptures, prayer and devotions, and many other spiritual practices, but most powerfully through our reception of our God and Creator of the universe, Jesus Christ, in the Holy Eucharist at Mass.

As Catholics, we have all been taught that Jesus is fully present in the Eucharist, but we must understand that He is more than just present. He is here! He’s not some spiritual presence floating around in the church, hovering over the altar, and landing on the altar bread. In the tabernacle right now, Jesus is physically here, just as He will be on this altar in just a few minutes. He is here, His Body and Blood, as well as His Soul and Divinity. He’s not just present; He’s here, just as much as any of us are here right now! Can you imagine how full this church would be if everyone truly believed that?

I was thinking about how a conversation with a friend or co-worker would go if this really was our mindset. It might go something like this: “Hey, what are you going to do in the morning?” “I’m going to Mass at 6:30 AM.” “Six-thirty AM? That’s way too early for me. Why would you go to Mass that early? Is someone special going to be there?” “Of course, someone special is going to be there. Why would I get up so early to go to Mass if someone special wasn’t coming as well?” “So, who’s going to be there? Is it someone famous?” “Yes, only the most famous person in human history, Jesus Christ. He’s gonna be there in the flesh, and I’m even going to get to have a personal one-on-one meeting with Him during Mass.”

I say this, of course, a little tongue-in-cheek, but seriously, that’s the truth, and all of us are blessed beyond measure to be here with Him today.

Jesus said, “Whoever remains in Me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without Me you can do nothing.” God’s will for our lives is that one day we will be with Him in heaven, and He doesn’t want us to do anything that would separate us from Him and put our eternal salvation at risk. He knows, however, that we will fall to sin from time to time, but through the Church, He gives us an infinite number of lifelines to not only save us, but also to strengthen us to be able to stand against the devil and the future temptations He knows we will face.

Amen!