"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."
Gospel of John
In the Gospel of John, Jesus says: "Abide in me as I abide in you". In the Jerusalem Bible, this is translated: "Make your home in me as I make mine in you". Abide means, "to dwell with", or "to make your home with". Note that Jesus is not just saying "abide in me". He is also saying: "as I abide with you". Through His spirit, Jesus makes His home with us. He is present with us and to us.
On the road to Damascus, Saint Paul heard the following words that resulted in his conversion to Christ: "Saul, Saul; why do you persecute me?" And it is Saul who responds: "Who are you Lord? And we know the answer: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting".
Why did Saul not recognize the abiding presence of Jesus before this particular moment of time? I guess the answer to that question can apply to anyone who is against, or refuses to accept Jesus as Lord. Their disposition is not willing or ready to accept the indwelling presence of Christ in their lives. Something is needed, something that we by ourselves cannot do or possess, something that will open our inner eyes of faith so that we may become aware of the indwelling presence of Christ within us. Only then will we recognize the sacredness of our own inner temple where Christ reigns with all of His abundance.
Jesus makes no secret as to how this is to be accomplished. In the Gospel of Matthew, He says: "Whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees you in secret, will reward you." This room that Jesus speaks about is not necessarily your bed room. It is that place of inner silence within your own heart; the room that lies within each of us; the place where God dwells; the place where God wishes to reveal Himself to us. "Seek the Lord while He can be found. Call to Him while He is still near."
In John's Gospel, Jesus is also saying: "Those who abide in me, and I in them, bear much fruit; but apart from me you can do nothing." What in fact is He saying by this? He is saying that we cannot do the things of God by ourselves. Two things are necessary:
1. that we abide with God (that is we dwell with Him)
2. as God abides with us.
The second is God's initiative. The first is our initiative.
When these two initiatives are present, then we in fact give God permission to act through us to do the work of building His Kingdom. So we cannot take the credit as Saint Paul would constantly remind us. The credit and the glory rest with God alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment