Why do you have a belly button? Do you know?
Your belly button is actually a scar, marking the spot where
you were connected to your mother by a cord—called an umbilical cord, while you
were still a tiny baby growing in your mother’s womb. Around the time you were
5-7 weeks old in your mother’s belly, so 33 weeks before you drew your first
breath in the world, when you were just half an inch big, you were connected to
her by this cord at your belly button. And through that cord, your tiny little
body received from your mother oxygen, nutrients, blood. You were completely
dependent upon her for life.
So make sure you thank your mother and thank God for the
gift of your mother this weekend on Mother’s Day.
In the Gospel today, Jesus uses an image very much like that
cord that connects us to our mothers for life. He says, “I am the vine, you are
the branches… 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.” Just like you could
not have physical life as a little baby unless you remained connected to your
mother, you cannot have spiritual life unless you remain connected to Jesus.
“Without me, you can do nothing” he says.
Now, that does not mean you cannot do your math homework
without Jesus, or eat your lunch without Jesus, or tie your shoes without
Jesus. He means that without him, we cannot have the kind of life that matters
most: the life of grace, the life of holiness that leads to heaven. We cannot
become the saints God created us to be unless we remain connected to him.
And how do we stay connected to Jesus?
We stay connected to him by prayer. Every time you pray,
even very simply, you are turning your heart toward Jesus.
We stay connected to him by listening to his word. When we hear Scripture, when
we learn about the faith, when we pay attention at Mass, Jesus is speaking to
us.
We stay connected to him by obeying him. When we choose honesty instead of
lying, kindness instead of cruelty, purity instead of sin, forgiveness instead
of revenge, we remain in his love.
And of course, we stay connected to him through the sacraments, especially the
Holy Eucharist, where Jesus gives us his very self, and Confession, where we
become reconnected to Jesus when we sever ourselves from his life through
serious sin.
A branch cut off from the vine may look fine for a little
while. It may still look green. But it is already dying, because it is no
longer connected to its source of life. That can happen to us spiritually too.
A person can look fine on the outside, but if he stops praying, stops listening
to God, stops going to Mass, stops receiving the sacraments, and chooses sin
again and again, then the life of Jesus in the soul begins to weaken.
But the good news is that Jesus wants us close to him. He
wants us to have his life in us. He wants us to bear fruit: love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, and holiness.
So today Jesus gives us a very important reminder: stay
connected to me. Remain in me. Do not drift away. Do not allow yourself to live
without me, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
Trusting in Jesus Christ, the true vine, from whom we
receive the life of grace, let us bring our prayers before our heavenly Father.
For the Church: that
she may always remain deeply united to Christ and help all people grow in
faith, holiness, and love, let us pray to the Lord.
In anticipation of Mother’s Day, we pray for mothers,
grandmothers, and all women who care for children with love and sacrifice: that
God may bless them, strengthen them, and reward them for the gift of their
love, let us pray to the Lord.
For our academy community: that our students, teachers, and
families may stay connected to Jesus through prayer, obedience, and the
sacraments, let us pray to the Lord.
For those who feel far from God: that they may hear the
voice of Jesus calling them back to remain in his love and receive the life
only he can give, let us pray to the Lord.
For the sick, the lonely, and those who are suffering: that
remaining close to Christ, they may receive strength, peace, and hope, let us
pray to the Lord.
For our beloved dead: that they may live forever with Christ
in the joy of heaven, let us pray to the Lord.
Heavenly Father, you give us life through your Son, Jesus Christ, the true
vine. Hear these prayers and keep us always united to him, who lives and reigns
forever and ever. Amen.
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