NO, this piece is not about human reproduction. This is
about our great need to be vitally united to Christ, like branches to
the vine, if we are to be fertile and fruitful, not only in our own
personal spiritual life but also in our apostolate which is
inseparable in our pursuit for personal sanctity. Otherwise, the only
thing we can expect is sterility, no matter how much we try to be
fruitful and productive.
I suppose we are familiar with that parable about the vine
and branches. (cfr. Jn 15,1-8) It’s important that we remind ourselves
that we are branches that need to be united to the vine. We cannot
think of ourselves as if we are just on our own, or that everything
depends on us, that things begin and end with us.
No, sir! We need to be united to the vine who is Christ,
the God made man who is the pattern of our humanity and the savior of
our damaged humanity. We have to be constantly aware of this
fundamental truth about ourselves, a truth that we have to continually
affirm, live out and reinforce, given our condition here on earth that
is prone to all sorts of things that tend to deny that truth
precisely.
We have our own personal weaknesses that already are a
formidable enemy to contend with. We tend to be lazy, to be worldly,
to be sensual that desensitizes us from the spiritual and supernatural
dimensions of our life. As a consequence, we often fall into the
varied forms of pride and vanity, greed, envy, etc. With these we can
get the sensation that we are ok and are doing great when, in fact,
the opposite is true.
As the gospel would summarize it, we have to contend with
the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life. We
should never ignore or even take for granted these weaknesses. Rather
we have to take the necessary precautionary measures.
Besides, we also have to contend with the many allurements
of the world that give us sweet poisons. Plus, of course, there is the
devil, the ever scheming and conspiring evil spirit who will always
hover around us like flies around some rotting carcass.
A quick study of the lives of many saints can easily lend
credence to this great need of ours to be vitally united to Christ if
we are to be fertile and fruitful. Though many of them were isolated,
ostracized, persecuted, imprisoned, martyred, etc., the fruitfulness
of their personal sanctification and apostolate cannot be denied. The
lives and missionary fruitfulness of the apostles, like Peter and
Paul, can readily attest to this.
We can compare their lives with those who can be
considered as false teachers in the sense that they can appear to be
fruitful also, but in the end, since they were not vitally united with
Christ, that fruitfulness was actually a mirage.
In the Acts of the Apostles (5,34-38) we are given a
sample of these false teachers who managed to attract many followers
but their ‘missionary work’ could not hold water for long.
A certain Pharisee, Gamaliel, cited the cases of two false
teachers, Theudas and Judas the Galilean, who had a big following, but
when they were killed, these followers were dispersed, and everything
they did came to nothing.
He gave this piece of advice to those who were persecuting the
apostles: “Leave these men alone! Let them go, for if their purpose or
activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you
will not be able to stop these men. You will only find yourselves
fighting against God.” And up to now, the fruitfulness of the work of
these apostles continues despite tremendous difficulties.
vine, to be fertile and fruitful!
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