Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Christian life ultimately isn't a philosophy or a theology. It's not enough to study or read, not enough to have the accessories. It is a way of life. To be a Christian, we must be in a life-giving relationship with Christ. Are you connected to Christ? Does he live and breathe in you? How do we know if Christ is alive in us? In the old days, we might have talked about being in a state of grace. Those words don't mean much today. There is no lab test available to determine our spiritual state, but there is an exam, an examination of conscience.

The second reading asks us to examine our hearts when we come before God. Is our heart at peace, or does it accuse us? We can fool most people, but we can't fool our own hearts. Sometimes our reluctance to come into God's presence is itself an indication that all is not well with us. We maybe are guilty or uneasy. If we don't want to examine our conscience, it's probably because we know in our heart of hearts all is not right in our lives with God or others. Feeling guilty, however, doesn't do us much good, indeed keeping our distance from God only makes it worse. We can be like a child ashamed to look our parents in the eyes.

Please hear this Gospel not as a condemnation but as an invitation. Apart from Christ, we soon get lukewarm in our faith, maybe even cold or indifferent, the voice of Christ becomes faint, and our faith takes a back seat. Sometimes our life of faith actually dies. Look for the spiritual fruit in your life. Where it is present, and where does it need to grow. Our spiritual fruits are the tangible signs of Christ at work in us. They are charity, generosity, joy, gentleness, peace, faithfulness, patience, modesty, kindness, self-control, goodness, and chastity. You'll notice these are all positive things!

The voice of our conscience is not one of condemnation but a reminder that we are called to live in a Christ-like manner. It is a consolation that all sins can be forgiven, that each day is a call for conversion, to try again. That we can become the men and women, Christ has called us to be.

Jesus said to his disciples: “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 every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
 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.”

With Love and Blessings,

Fr Damian

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