I appointed you to go and bear fruit

FRIDAY 15 MAY (Jn 15,12-17)

What fruits should the Apostles of the Lord and, learning from them, each of his disciples bear? The fruits they are to bear are all revealed in the Gospel according to Matthew. The first fruit is to become small children, for the kingdom: “I At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.” The second fruit consists in avoiding all scandals. The scandal is similar to a match lit in a wheat field ready for harvest. To grow the wheat it took about eight months, to be destroyed suffice a few minutes: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of things that cause sin! Such things must come, but woe to the one through whom they come!” The third fruit is the one of always going in search of the lost sheep: “What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.” These are the essential, fundamental and primary fruits.

The fourth fruit is fraternal correction according to the style and modalities indicated by the Lord Jesus: “If your brother sins (against you), go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Correction is the essence of the life of the body of Christ. If those in the community who are in charge do not correct moral and doctrinal errors, soon the whole body of Christ Jesus will fall into heresy, schisms, idolatry and immorality. The fifth fruit is communion in prayer. Communion in faith and communion in prayer must be one: “Again, (amen,) I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” The sixth fruit is forgiveness seventy times seven: “Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times”” (Cf. Mt 18,1-35). These fruits are the foundation on which the body of Christ is built day by day. Bearing these fruits is Jesus’ command.

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.

In the Gospel nothing is left to the feeling, the heart, the mind and the will of the individual disciple. Each member of the body of Christ has his own particular fruit to bear. These fruits are universal. They are a commandment for everyone. Then the Apostles will do the Apostles, the Elders the Elders, the Deacons the Deacons, the Confirmed the Confirmed and the Baptized the Baptized. But everyone will have to produce these essential fruits.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, ensure that every Christian produces these essence fruits.