So many walk throughout life as if they lack an ultimate purpose. People chase after an endless array of pleasures. Once they fulfill a pleasure that they have sought after it is time to go forth and chase after another one. This endless cycle of meaninglessness doesn't have to be this way. If our life is without meaning or if we discover that we are simply chasing after an endless amount of pleasures, which always end up leaving us empty, may we come to trust in Christ and in return the Church that He has left us. Saul endlessly chased after all of this, but then he encounter Christ and was converted. Paul then remained on this vine that he discovered and in return he produced much fruit. Christ tells us in our Gospel that He is the vine and we are the branches; whoever remains on this vine will bear much fruit.
Despite this promise that comes to us from the lips of our Lord, so many do not heed and trust in His words. They would rather figure things out for themselves and go out into the world to try to conquer it on their own merit. Through our own merit we can ultimately conquer nothing because we need the grace that God extends to us. It is God alone who can fulfill us because what is displayed to us within the Trinity is perfect love itself. When we feel that we are not loved we have to look to God and thus the Trinity to see that this is not so. When we feel like we need certain pleasures to be fulfilled may we instead come to realize that the love of the Trinity is so perfect that it alone can fulfill us. Jesus is the vine and we are branches if we stay on this vine we will bear much fruit.
How have we lived out our life divorced from the love of God? Many families probably cannot remember the last time that they have prayed together outside of the Church. This is painful to hear from a married couple because how can they express the love that is found within the Trinity if they live out their life separated from love of God. This is of course an impossibility. My heart also aches when I encounter so many of our youth who wonder about life without any given purpose. They are dropped off at religious Ed in what seems to be a punishment. Maybe this manifestation of attitude is brought about because we live our life as if it is divorced from the vine that is Christ. Single, married, a child, a teen, young or old, consecrated religious, a priest is does not matter because each of us need to sustain this relationship with Christ because it is only upon this vine where we will bear fruit.
We are not in need of a self help book to discover life's purpose, but instead all we need to do is everything that we can to remain upon the vine that is Christ. Christ did not leave us alone to figure out how we can remain upon this vine for our own, but instead He left us with the gift of the Church and thus too the gift that is the seven sacraments. Frequent them in you life and extend them to your family and you will come to know and love Christ. You will come to find meaning instead of wondering about lost in a sea of people who have no idea where they are going. Whenever we have the opportunity to receive any of the Sacraments while in the state of grace we know that we are headed to encounter Christ in a most intimate manner. Who absolves you from sin in the Sacrament of Confession, but Christ who extends the fullness of His mercy to you. Who pours Himself out entirely out of love for you except for Christ who we commune with in the Eucharist. The Sacraments keep us upon the vine and through them we bear much fruit.
May we not banish Christ for our life or home, but instead may we allow Him to remain with us always. Jesus' Sacred Heart pours out His love upon each of us and in return may we trust in Him because here alone will we come to discover true purpose and understanding with each of life's difficulties. Our families and homes need the Sacred Heart of Jesus to once again triumph because if we allow this to take place we will bear much fruit. One lost practice of Catholic past is the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the home. What a beautiful practice because it professes that it is not the television, the computer, or our many possessions that are at life's center, but instead it is Jesus Christ the vine who loves us dearly. All that is necessary for this is an image or statue of the statue of the Sacred Heart placed within the home, some prayers of consecration offered as a family, and then daily prayers offered together to renew this devotion that sets us upon the vine which is Christ. Also, realize that despite school or work we still have daily Mass on Saturday morning that a family could attend together especially attempting to attend first Saturdays of the month in devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
May we not wonder about life as if we are lost, but instead may we remain upon the vine that is Christ and as long as we allow ourself to remain on this vine we will bear much fruit.
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