Daily Catholic Lectio
Thu, 7 May 2026
Fifth Week of Easter
Ac 15:7–21. Jn 15:9–11
Remain in My Love
Today Jesus gives us one of the most tender invitations in the Gospel: “Remain in my love.” These words come after yesterday’s Gospel, where Jesus said, “I am the true vine.” If He is the vine and we are the branches, then our life depends on remaining united with Him. A branch cannot live by itself. It receives life, strength, and fruitfulness only by remaining in the vine. In the same way, a disciple cannot live the Christian life by personal strength alone. We live by remaining in the love of Christ.
Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.” This is a profound statement. The love that Jesus gives us is not small, temporary, or conditional. It is the very love that flows between the Father and the Son. Jesus does not love us from a distance. He loves us with the Father’s own love. This love becomes visible in the washing of the disciples’ feet. It reaches its fullness on the cross. His love is humble, serving, forgiving, and self-giving.
Therefore, when Jesus says, “Remain in my love,” He is not simply asking us to feel loved. He is inviting us to live inside His love, to make His love our home, our strength, and our way of life. In John’s Gospel, to “remain” means to stay, to dwell, to continue, to live. The Christian life is not a short visit to Jesus. It is a permanent dwelling in Him. We remain in Him not only in prayer, not only in worship, but also in our choices, relationships, words, and attitudes.
But how do we remain in His love? Jesus gives the answer clearly: “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” Here, commandments do not mean only rules or external obligations. They mean the whole teaching of Jesus, His way of life, His words, His example. To keep His commandments is to allow His word to become flesh in us. It is not enough to hear the Gospel. We must live it. It is not enough to admire Jesus. We must follow Him.
Then Jesus gives the sign of remaining in His love: joy. He says, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” The fruit of remaining in Christ is not fear, heaviness, or anxiety. It is deep joy. This joy is not the same as pleasure. It is not dependent on success or comfort. It is the quiet strength of a heart rooted in God. It is the joy of knowing that we are loved, forgiven, guided, and held by Christ.
The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles shows us what happens when the Church remains in the love of Christ. The early Church faces a serious question: should the Gentile believers be forced to follow the Jewish practice of circumcision? This was not a small issue. It touched identity, tradition, belonging, and unity. There was real tension. But Peter stands up and says that God has made no distinction between them and us. God purified their hearts by faith. Then he asks a powerful question: Why place on the shoulders of others a burden that even we could not carry?
This is the wisdom of a heart that has remained in the love of Christ. Peter does not look at the Gentiles as outsiders. He looks at them through the mercy of God. He does not begin with suspicion. He begins with grace. He does not want to make faith a heavy burden. He wants the door of salvation to remain open. James too speaks with pastoral wisdom: “We should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God.” The apostles do not abandon the truth, but they refuse to make unnecessary burdens for others.
This is an important lesson for us. Sometimes religion can become heavy because of our attitudes. We may add burdens where Christ gives freedom. We may create divisions where God is creating communion. We may judge others before recognizing the grace already working in them. But those who remain in Christ’s love become people of larger hearts. They learn to see as God sees. They do not make life harder for others. They help others come closer to God.
To remain in Christ’s love, therefore, means also to become bearers of joy for others. A person who is filled with the joy of Christ does not spread fear. He does not humiliate. He does not unnecessarily burden. He does not close doors. He becomes a servant of communion. The joy received from Christ becomes joy shared with others.
Today the Lord asks us to examine our hearts. Are we remaining in His love, or only visiting Him occasionally? Are His words shaping our life, or do they remain only beautiful words? Do others experience us as people who give peace and joy, or as people who add weight and fear? Do we help others come closer to God, or do we make the journey more difficult for them?
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
A ‘Yesni Prays’ Initiative
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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