The Gospel was John 15: 1-8, where Jesus says, “I am the true vine and you are the branches . . .” Lenny pointed out to the kids that Jesus says over and over, “Remain in me, and I remain in you.” He emphasized the word remain—stay with me . . . stay close to me.” Bringing out a vine he had dug up that morning to use as a concrete visual, he explained the Gospel in simple terms and involved the kids in a conversation that circled in to what they were doing in receiving communion that day, but the lesson had application for the adults as well. We were impressed; Lenny will make a fine priest one day, following the example of the Lord who taught in simple examples his listeners could relate to.
I prayed for the First Communicants that their day would be as powerful as mine was. If there is one day in my personal life I can point to as the first moment that it all came together for me in my relationship with God, it was that day. It was the day I knew that I knew, and I have never doubted. It is hard to explain how I felt, but at one moment I knew God was with me. Over the years, I have had been “pruned,” but each time it has only brought me closer to him; it has been necessary for growth and for the production of fruit in my life.
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