Lasting Fruit

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”—John 15:5

Will what I do during my lifetime make any difference? Maybe in the present, but what about years from now? Will the good fruit of love and justice I have borne really last? Jesus gave us the answer to that question: Yes! If our life is connected by faith, hope, and love, we will bear “fruit that will last” (John 15:16). So you and I do what we discern to be God’s will for us in each moment; we do our duties as best we can, and we do them as much as possible out of a motive of love for God and others. God not only guarantees good, nourishing fruit from our labors, but fruit that, by his power, will last and nourish others in the years ahead.

Lord, my life will make a difference now and in the future if I abide in you. Amen. 

—from the book Three Minutes with God: Reflections and Prayers to Encourage, Inspire, and Motivate
by Monsignor Frank Bognanno