“Abide in me, as I abide in you” (Jn 15:4).
In addition to abiding in God and He in us through contemplation and meditation, there is also the aspect of abiding in the Father through the works we do.
We will be able to identify these different approaches very well by observing, for example, the different religious communities we have within the Church. They all strive to live in union with the Heavenly Father in their respective vocations and have the same goal: to fulfill the Will of the Lord. This is the common bond of all those who follow Christ, including the laity, whose mission is in their family, in their profession and in the various tasks that are presented to them in this world.
Among the religious orders we know contemplative communities, to whom the Lord has called to withdraw from the world and to place their whole life at the service of the Church and humanity through prayer and sacrifice. We also know communities more related to the meditation of the Word of God which focus on preaching. Then we have the active communities, dedicated to the care of the sick, education and the various activities that the Lord entrusts to them.
Although the active orders are also founded on contemplation and meditation, the emphasis of their vocation is more on the practice of corporal works of mercy. Through these works, the Lord abides in their hearts, for in this way they bear witness to the goodness of our Father. In the same way, they too remain in Him by carrying out this service of mercy. They are a living testimony of how the Father goes out in search of us to show us His love and to minister to us. In every good work they perform, God is glorified. The more religious people testify that they are at the service of Christ, the more people will recognize that God is the origin and author of every good work: “your light must shine in people’s sight, so that, seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16).
In all these ways of abiding in God, the Word of the Lord is fulfilled: “Abide in me, as I abide in you”. It is a joy for Him to encourage us more and more to seek Him and to make this word of Scripture a reality in our intimate union with Him: “We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus for the good works which God has already designated to make up our way of life” (Eph 2:10).