In the Gospel of St. John, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in Him, will bear much fruit.” (15:5) With these words, the Lord expresses what makes Him unique from all other human leaders. Other leaders can impact us only psychologically. That is, they can inspire us. But Jesus can impact us not only psychologically, but mystically. What does this mean? It means that other leaders can only inflame our emotions and excite our imagination. They cannot transfuse us with their own personal spirit, power, and strength. This is precisely what Jesus can do. Jesus can put His spirit inside us. He can share His power with us. He can enter our minds and our hearts and help us become what we could never become alone. Of course, we must be willing to let Him do this. He never forces Himself on us. Our human freedom is sacred to Him. But if we invite Him into our lives, He can empower us in ways that we might have thought impossible. As Jesus says again in the Gospel of John, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” (14:23)
