Remain in me, as I remain in you. John 15:4
What does it mean to “remain” in Jesus? And what does it mean that Jesus “remains” in us? The word “remain” occurs eight times in our Gospel reading for this Sunday (John 15:1-8). In the allegory of the Vine and the Branches, Jesus teaches His disciples what it means to be in union with Him. We are called to be one with each other and one with Him. We are the branches, the offshoots of Christ, the True Vine (John 15:1). But without union with Jesus, we do not have His life giving grace; truly, we can do nothing without Him (John 15:5).
The Greek word for “remain” is meno, which also means “abide.” Other translations of the Bible use “abide” in place of “remain.” Meno means to be held and kept continually. When we abide somewhere, we stay there–it is our dwelling. Jesus asks each of us to live with Him. He wants us to allow Him to live in our hearts. He wants each person to abide with Him, to dwell with Him so close to us that we are one with Him, as connected as a branch is to a vine.
The point of being in union with Christ is not simply to get filled up with His peace and love for ourselves. The point is to bear fruit! I’m not talking productivity at work or home; I’m talking spiritual fruits: “The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: ‘charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity’ (CCC 1832). God’s grace within us makes it possible to live out these virtues and to pour them out to others.
The Catechism teaches, “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).
This allegory so beautiful to me, and inspires me to strive to cultivate the fruits of the Holy Spirit by imitating Jesus, the perfect embodiment of virtue. When we imitate the Lord, we prove that we truly abide in His love: “By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, ‘I abide in him,’ ought to walk just as he walked” (1 John 2:5-6).
Jesus, without Your grace I would continuously fall short of living a holy, fruitful life. Thank You, Lord, for blessing me with a small portion of Your love, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. May it bring forth fruit that will abide forever for Your glory (John 15:16).