remaining

"One of the most important words in the Gospel of John is menein (to remain, or to stay, or to abide). Phrases containing this word sound like a refrain throughout the fourth Gospel: Remain in my love; Remain in me as I remain in my Father; If you abide in my Word, you are truly my disciples; Whoever does not remain in me is thrown away like a branch and withers. What is being signaled here is something fundamental to the Christian faith, namely, that Jesus is infinitely more than a teacher whose instruction we follow or a moral hero whose example we imitate; rather, he is a field of force, a power, in which we are immersed. Saint Paul indicates the same truth when he speaks, over and again, if being in Christ."

                                  -     Bishop Robert Barron,  from Magnificat, January 2018