Fifth Sunday of Easter, 5/2

Today’s Gospel is popular, beautiful, and very challenging for us. Jesus gives a very clear analogy, saying that he is the vine, his Father is the vine-grower, and we are the branches. The vine is the source of nutrients and life that is brought to each part of the plant. The vine-grower is the source of the plant itself—as it is he who plowed the ground and planted the seed. He is also the one who protects the plant from harm from the outside—pests, scorching sun, drought, etc. So then what is the job of the branch? What is our job? Our job is to remain.

It would be an understatement to say that this Gospel emphasizes the idea of remaining. It is mentioned eight times in this 10-sentence passage. But what does Jesus mean? Why does he emphasize this so much?

I was talking to a Drexel student last week about a book he had recently read called, The Screwtape Letters. It is a fictional story about a senior demon named Screwtape, who is instructing his nephew, a junior demon who has the task of leading a particular human away from God into hell. The junior demon explained to his uncle that his human is way too busy and preoccupied with trivial day-to-day realities to fall into his pitfalls and tricks that would lead the human away from God. He asks his uncle what he should do? The demonic, twistedly-wise uncle simply said: “Do nothing.”

Screwtape—the senior demon—knows that as long as we are too busy and preoccupied with our day-to-day tasks of work, study, netflix, social media, and other social activities, the devil doesn’t even need to worry about us. That is a chilling reality. The Drexel student admitted that the biggest obstacle he needs to get over in allowing himself to grow in his relationship with God is his own busyness that he has constructed around himself. I admitted that this is mine as well. I am confident that whoever reads this can relate.

Holiness, salvation—living a truly good life—is not complicated. It is no more complicated than any relationship that needs to be developed and nurtured. But it does take time. Maybe after Mass this week we can all take a few extra minutes to simply remain—to remain in our pew as a sign of our desire to remain in Christ.

Michael Gokie, SCV