Just wanted to share with you something I had written to the sponfrienders in RCIY. Felt that this passage is really meaningul, especially during this time when I need God so badly to give me that strength, endurance and patience leading up to the December Camp.


John 15:1-17

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does, he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. 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. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. 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. As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.

My dear brothers and sisters, I was greatly touched by this reading. This is because I felt this passage was instrumental to all of us, especially when we are serving in the RCIY ministry.

Jesus as the vine grower signifies that without Him, we can do nothing. By giving us our own individual roles and responsibilities in this ministry, He is constantly preparing us for any future roles ahead, either in church or outside church. Sometimes, we may find it difficult to perform in our roles and responsibilities. There will be “weeds”,”pebbles” that stand in our way and makes us discouraged and upset.

But as Jesus said, “ Remain in me, as I remain in you.” Jesus is telling us to constantly remain in Him, to keep our eyes fixed on God in all the things we do. Are we doing things out of our own intentions? Or are we doing things because we love God? Where’s the intention? Where’s the motive? For as long as our intentions and focus is onto the love of God, outpoured for the love of our neighbours, Jesus said “Whoever remains in me and I in Him will bear much fruit, because without me, you can do nothing.” As Dec camp approaches, let us constantly remind ourselves that we are here, to be God’s instruments and His servants.

And of course, as long as we remain rooted in His words and ways, we will give glory to God and “bear much fruit and become His disciples.” As long as we are earnestly seeking His ways in all the things we do, we are sharing this discipleship with one another. Through this shared discipleship, we are also likewise, sharing the values of Jesus Christ – primarily, is to love God and our neighbours.

And as long as we remain in God and to love one another, the fruit that we get is “complete joy”. Jesus said “ I have told you this (To remain in God) so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” The joy that we will get is not of those when we manage to satisfy our craving for our favourite food, or when we get something which we have saved up long. The joy that we will get can never be bought with money nor with any barter trade. For the joy that we have is infinite, beyond description and intrinsically satisfying.

How to we get this complete joy? Don’t all of us desire this complete joy?

If you want this complete joy, it is not far from you. This is because Jesus has already “chosen us, and appointed us to go and bear fruit.” Jesus calls us His friends because He has told us what to do already – To remain in Him and to love one another. Only if we constantly lean back on the TRUE VINE, do we have the capacity to give Him all we got, to love Him and our neighbours. If we open our hearts for Jesus to remain in us, and to share love to the others, we will get this complete joy. And once we get this complete joy, we will be endowed with fruits, not of this earth but of the Kingdom of God.

As the Feast of Christ the King was celebrated yesterday, let us keep our eyes fixed on OUR ONE AND ONLY KING – GOD.

If you look back at yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus also shared in our humanity when He was crucified on the cross. Look at it in this way – He came into the world lowly, “without a room in the inn” and born in the company of animals, in the manger. And he left the earth, with a humiliating death – Scourged, spat, stripped, slapped, mocked, etc.

In many ways, Jesus, though a King, He is also like one of us – a servant.

Whenever we are tired and burnt out, whenever we are put down in service, whenever stones, pebbles, weeds come in our way, etc, Jesus has gone through it all. He understands how we are feeling, thinking, saying and doing. That is why, He is constantly telling us through the John's Gospel, to remain in Him because He is the true vine, the true source, the alpha and omega to all things. Without Him, we cannot do anything. He will give us all the things we need, without any stint.

But while He is the true vine and we are His branches, we cannot bear fruit unless we love one another. In yesterday’s Gospel, the good thief rebuked the unrepentant bad thief, “Have you no fear of God?” When we fear God, we love Him. So the question I want to ask you is: Do you love God? If you love God, do you love the sponfrienders in RCIY? If you truly love one another, are you giving love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control to one another (Galatians 5:22-23)? If you are giving life to yourself by serving Him in RCIY, are you sharing this life with the others?

As the Dec Camp approaches, I urge all of us to remain fixed in God and to love one another. Let us work towards the ONE BODY OF CHRIST where each of us are needy and dependent onto one another in this community to grow. We cannot say “I can work alone” or “I want this/that...” For when this happens, we are no longer working for God. We are working for our own glory.

We need one another in this community. Let us share God, share faith, share love with one another. As the week goes by and the Dec Camp approaches, I invite all of you to just take these two lines with you and reflect on them as and when you are free:

“Remain in me, as I remain in you.”

“This is my commandment, love one another as I love you."

When we busy ourselves with the planning and execution during the entire weekend, bring these 2 lines with you and put them into practice - Keep your eyes onto God and love one another in the RCIY community, where all of us are called to share faith and God.

May God continue to enrich us with all His graces to be His instruments and His humble servants!

Mother Mary, pray for us and with us. Amen.