Remain in Me
“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." (John 15:7-8)
“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." (John 15:7-8)
“Remain in me” tends to be interpreted by people as “as long as we’re generally being good people, we’re remaining in Christ.” We should be good people, but this is truly a call to something deeper. We ought to follow what the Word says and follow God’s will in our lives, but there’s a call to actually cling to the Lord that I think this passage gets at.
Full and complete trust in the Lord is what allows us to bear the most fruit. This is tough. I know for me, personally, it can be very difficult to trust especially when life seems to throw curveball after curveball. I’ve been comforted by the image in recent months of a child clinging to their father. That child may be scared and worried about whatever is going on around them, but they trust that while clinging to their dad, he won’t let anything happen to them.
It is in that trust that we have the freedom to bear the fruit we are called to. It is in that freedom that we can more fully follow God’s will and help lead others. We grow in this trust through spending time in prayer.
St. Teresa of Jesus also known as St. Teresa of Ávila whose feast day we celebrate today, has a great quote about prayer: “Mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us.”
How beautiful! Take time to share with God and grow in that trust of Him.
How can I trust God better?
Heavenly Father, please help me to grow in my trust of you and to remember your love for me. Amen.
Brittany DeHaan grew up in San Antonio, Texas and attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for college. She taught at a Catholic elementary school in Iowa for a year before moving to Florida in 2021. She taught at St. Paul Catholic School in St. Petersburg for two years before joining the pastoral center where she is currently the Communications Coordinator. She is passionate about her faith and loves to be involved in the diocese. She loves music, art, playing sports, and livestreaming Geoguessr in her free time.
