Jesus said, “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, because without me you can do nothing.”


John 15:4-5


Jesus tells the apostles to abide in him, to simply stay connected to him. He then uses the analogy of a branch on a fruit tree. The branch cannot bear fruit all alone, cut off from the rest of the tree. It bears fruit because it receives water and nutrients from the tree. In the same way, change in our characters comes not from us but from God.


Becoming like Christ in our character happens as we abide in the person of Jesus Christ. This simply means staying connected to Jesus. How do we do that? Daily prayer and the sacraments are the best ways in which we abide in or stay connected to Christ. Another way is calling Jesus to mind through simple little prayers such as “Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.” Or saying, “Jesus, you are my Savior and Deliverer.”


Take a moment to be with Jesus. Repeat one of the short prayers above and then pray it throughout the day.