How can you be fruitful if Jesus is not in you and you in Him?

What must we do to let the seed sown by God grow and turn fruitful? Am I feeling helpless or frustrated as I strive to become fruitful as God desires?

Many people see Christianity as a religion that demands extreme moral effort. A Catholic friend minced no words when he shared his deep struggle in trying to follow God's commandments and fulfill his religious obligations: “Living out my Christian faith is a huge burden to me. It gives me no joy. Unfortunately, it's a burden I must carry until death in order to avoid divine punishment.”

For some people, God is like a “Master” who rules over them with an iron fist.  He is like a tyrant who imposes His commandments from above and demands that we follow them to the t's. But God is no tyrant. Nor does He want us to be His slaves. God is a loving Father who wants us to become His adopted children through Christ (cf. Ephesians 1:5).

Using the metaphor of the true vine, Jesus makes it clear that He is the vine and we are the branches. The two are closely connected – so connected that we can't live or do anything without Him!

With this in mind, St. Paul tells us how he goes about his daily life: “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20 RSV).

We must let Jesus live in us; let our “I” be absorbed into His; let Him take over our whole being! When we do that, He will give us the grace to do what He wants us to do as He has promised: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do” (John 14:12).

St. Augustine is confident that he can do whatever God commands him to do. He asks God to “command what You will”. In the same breath, he implores Him to “give what You command”. He knows if he can do God's commands, it's because of His grace, not because of his own effort.