Christ Jesus, help me abide in you as you abide in me...

 
 John 15:1-8
 
After a windy day, it is clear which branches have disengaged themselves from the tree through disease or dysfunction– they are strewn on the ground in various states of brokenness.  Being connected into the family of God through birth as a human being and the sacrament of Baptism, we do, like a tree branch, bear the same spiritual DNA as Jesus, and experience, at least as a child, the ‘sap’ of his truth and love flowing through us.  As I suck up the character of Jesus, I learn to live by the instructions he gave to us [to me] during his ministry on earth, and through the working of the Holy Spirit in Scripture and in humanity through the ages.  As much as I latch onto His Holy Spirit present in my inner core, then his liveliness, light and love are able to keep me flexible and not brittle, alive and not dead, and transform my thoughts, words, and actions into hearty, disease resistant fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control. Am I receiving life from the Holy Spirit of Jesus within me – or will I fall to the ground with the first gust of the winds of change?  Christ Jesus, help me abide in you as you abide in me.
                                                                  
This is my commandment: Love one another as I love you. (John 15:12)
When I trust deeply that today God is truly with me and holds me safe in a divine embrace, guiding every one of my thoughts...  I can be fully where I am and pay attention to the many signs of God's love within me and around me.
Henri Nouwen
 
www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca  & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei