Easter Season Meditation

The secret to obedience is given to us in John’s Gospel, when

Jesus teaches that he is the vine and we are the branches. Our life

depends upon remaining part of him—which we do by being

obedient to his commands and partaking in his Body and Blood

offered in the Eucharist. John in his letter says that we can tell if

we are “abiding” in Christ by our actions: Are they Christ-like?

The power to be like Christ, of course, comes from dying to

ourselves and allowing Christ to live within us. This requires

more than simply listening to or parroting the words of Christ;

this requires a complete abandonment to him.

Every day the official prayer of the Church begins the same

way, by praying Psalm 95: “Come, let us worship the Lord,”

echoes the refrain, inviting us to see our Savior, our Creator, the

God to whom we belong. With the invitation comes a warning:

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

-The Power of the Cross  by Michael Dubruiel