examination of the heart 358 Him. If the householders have a good reason for reproaching the lazy and inept servants for eating their bread in vain while doing no work at all; then, if there is no fruit from your Communion, would not Jesus be right to blame you for consuming the angelic bread to no avail? Ah! Be on your guard, lest what happened to those branches also happen to you, for they were expected to bring forth grapes, and yet produced the wild grapes (cf. Is 5:2, 4). 3. “every branch that does bear fruit [H]e prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (Jn 15:2). Reflect, how pleasing to Him are the branches that bring forth fruit; how worthy of love are those servants who work in the vineyard of the Lord. How acceptable to God are those religious who cooperate for the salvation of souls to such an extent that, even though through frailty they brought on themselves some stains of imperfection because of dealings with the imperfect for the sake of their salvation, He purges them so that they “may bear more fruit.” Oh, if you could be one of these who does their best for the Lord in order to show themselves to be fruitful branches! After Holy Communion 1. “You are already made clean” (Jn 15:3). Christ said these words to His disciples: “You are already made clean.” But why are they clean? “By the word,” He says, “which I have spoken to you” (15:3). Would you who let the whole Christ into your heart still be unclean? For if the word of the Lord is so effective that it cleans the hearers, how much better can the same Lord clean those who receive Him! He who touches the tar is smeared by it; on the contrary, he who touches the Immaculate Lamb, who consumes the cleanest Bread, will be completely cleansed. Do not create obstacles in this matter, I say: when the Lord wants to clean you, do not get more filth on yourself, do not let vain and worldly things affect you, and do not devote your heart to them.
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