Imagine you are suspended in the air. In one hand, a balloon is gently pulling you up to heaven. Wrapped around your feet are a number of vines, securely rooted in the earth. Each of those vines has a name. One might be “Anger”, one “Lust”, and another “Resentment.” Today, Paul teaches us that if we are to live in Christ, we have to kill these vines. Saint Ignatius teaches us to detach ourselves from those things which keep us from our ultimate purpose. When we do, we experience the freedom to follow Christ wherever he leads and to see him in all things. Fortunately, Christ, through his death and resurrection, provides us the pruning shears to cut these oppressive vines out of our lives. What vines are holding you down? Ask Jesus for the loving grace to know their names and to rid them from your life.
—Sam Mauck is the Director of Catholic Campus & Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Memphis, which is a member of the Charis Ministries Partner Program.