In many ways, being Catholic is “painting by the numbers”….When we “stay within the lines”…We “bear fruit that will last”….Do we “think” somehow we know better than God does?…..Two thousand years of history and countless saints say otherwise

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of John something that every Catholic should pay attention too…Of all the ideas communicated in Holy Scripture…This one, in my humble opinion is one of the most important and frankly is a foundational principal of my life….”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. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing”…..While the Catholic Church is comprised of men, it also has a divine dimension to it….It was founded by Christ, who is God….Jesus tells us that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”…And if we are honest over the course of 2000 years, hell sure has tried to destroy the Catholic Church…And again, if we are honest, each and every attempt, by powerful men, empires and tyrants have all failed…The Catholic Church is still here and all the rest are long gone!……That should tell you something - Again if you are honest and objective…I state all this because, when we do things God’s way and “adhere to the vine”…We will ALWAYS bear fruit that lasts….These are not my words…These are Jesus’s words and if we look at history and the example of the saints…This proves to be true time and time again…What prevents us from doing things God’s way?….Do we “think” we know better than God does?

“Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord; whoever remains in me will bear much fruit”

This morning while doing my Spiritual reading I came across something that I thought was particularly noteworthy. This was written by the Servant of God Luis Martinez, who was the first official Primate of Mexico (1956)…This is what he wrote….”Not to know where we are going is painful, but that is precisely the effect of leaving our own paths and entering into the ways of God. To arrive at transformation we must see with other eyes and love with another heart.”…This I believe to be a very important insight, particularly when we live by what St John tells us today in the Gospel…To “adhere to the vine” many times will not “make sense” when we view things from a secular prospective…However, Jesus assures us that when we “adhere to the vine” we will bear fruit that will last…..This requires us to “play the long game”…Decisions we make as Catholics many not pay dividends in the short term, however they will pay off BIG TIME in the long term….This is why Luis Martinez states that: “Not to know where we are going is painful”…..We must learn to trust the carpenter from Nazareth…For example - When a Catholic couple gets married, they take a vow before God that their marriage will be fruitful….That means Catholic marriages are open to life…..That means Catholics DO NOT use contraception - Now don’t shoot the messenger - I did not just “make this up” and you know it!….When a Catholic married couple honors their wedding vows, God assures them that he will not only provide for them but that such a marriage because it “adheres to the vine” will “bear fruit that will last”….A Sacramental marriage is given all the necessary graces to weather everything that life throws at it……..Now that does not mean life will always be easy…However, God will provide the necessary grace to not only help such a couple each and everyday but use their marriage to build the Kingdom of God in the here and now…..Think about for a minute all the children that have been aborted in America…How many of those children could have become great athletes, scientists, lawyers, doctors, statesmen, etc….If only we trusted….God many times takes impossible circumstances and from them creates amazing outcomes….This is why we must “adhere to the vine”….God sees what we do not….God “plays the long game”…And so must we

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

Today at Mass we hear something we must build our life upon….”Adhering to the vine”……God can do with your life infinitely more than you can - No matter who you are!…..And when we do things God’s way - While not always an easy thing to do - We will ALWAYS bear fruit that will last…..Religious orders and Catholic Bishops who “adhere to the vine” thrive in real time…There is so much evidence of that I can fill hundreds of pages with examples…That model also applies to us, the laity in the pews…..No matter who you are - You did not “figure it out” better than God did or will - Not going to happen!….When we surrender to the will of God and walk step by step and day by day with him…We will soon realize that God’s plan is infinitely better then our plan….In many ways, being Catholic is “painting by the numbers”….When we “stay within the lines”…We bear fruit that will last….Do we “think” somehow we know better than God does?…..Two thousand years of history and countless saints say otherwise