Become my disciples

WEDNESDAY 13 MAY (Jn 15,1-8)

There is no true disciple if one does not become the invisible body of Christ Jesus and at the same time his visible body which is his one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. The disciple of Jesus, the disciple of the kingdom, or the son of the kingdom, is born with baptism: “Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit”” (Jn 3,4-7). Baptism opens the door to every other sacrament.

Only those who believe in Christ Jesus, the Father’s gift for our salvation, can receive baptism: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God”” (Jn 3,16-21). Believing in Christ is welcoming the Word of Christ Jesus.

We live as true disciples, receiving every day the Spirit without measure that is a gift of Christ Jesus: “The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven (is above all). He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy. For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him” (Jn 3,31-36). Making disciples is the command of Christ Jesus to the Twelve. They are the ones who must grow every day as disciples of Jesus in order to make disciples of Jesus all peoples and nations: Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28,18-20). If the Word of Jesus is so clear, why do Christians today teach that baptism is useless and that the baptized differs from the not baptized in nothing?

“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.

Whoever wants to become a true disciple of Jesus must always remain in the true vine which is Christ the Lord. Our unwillingness to make disciples, to form the Body of Christ and to preach the Gospel, reveals that we are not bad disciples of Jesus, but true disciples of Satan. He is our teacher. Otherwise we would not be ministers of his darkness.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, arrange that no Christian is a disciple of Satan.