Cedric Pisegna - Abide in Jesus (01/21/2026)
Father Cedric explains from John 15 that true Christian fruitfulness—deep relationship with God, Christlike character, and making a difference—only comes from abiding in Jesus, the Vine, while we are the branches receiving His life-giving sap of grace. He stresses that Christianity's core isn't rules or rituals but a vital, personal connection to the living Christ, and without staying attached through prayer, Scripture, sacraments, trust, and meditation on His Passion, we can bear no lasting fruit. Ultimately, abiding in Him allows His flow to empower us to glorify God by becoming all we're meant to be.
Opening and Scripture
Welcome to «Live with Passion». I’m Father Cedric Pisegna. Thank you for tuning into the program. I wanna proclaim to you the gospel from chapter 15 of the Gospel of John, goes like this. Jesus said, «Abide in me, and I and you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who abides in me and I in them, they are the ones who bear much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing».
Vineyards and God's Desire for Fruit
I’ve had the privilege to travel to Oregon, and I’ve seen vineyards, and grapes, and wineries and seen it in California and my home state of Texas, multi-billion dollar industry, wineries, and grapes, and wine, and vineyards, and production. And when it comes to wineries, the owners are mostly interested in one thing, not just the grapes, not just the growth, but the money, the fruit that comes from those grapes, and the fruit is the money. In the same way, God doesn’t so much want money, but he wants fruit. In fact, if you remember way back in the book of Genesis, this is chapter one, the earliest command in the Bible was for us to «be fruitful and multiply,» had to do with children.
But God still wants fruitfulness from us in a different way, mostly communion with him, and becoming all that we can be, and making a difference in life. That’s fruitfulness, and I’ll talk more about that. But the bottom line is is that Jesus said, «You must abide in me in order to bear fruit». I think that’s so beautiful. There’s a connection, Christianity is about connection with a person and receiving the grace and the flow that comes from that person so that we can be all that we can be, all that God is calling us to be. The prophet Isaiah said it in Isaiah 5. He said, «The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel».
So Jesus was using a metaphor that people would be very familiar with. And as I said, farmers want fruit for income, and God created us to be fruitful, not so much for income, but he wants us to become like Jesus. And in order for that to happen, we gotta stay connected. Jesus said this at the Last Supper, «I am the vine; you are the branches. Abide in me, and you will bear much fruit».
The Importance of Connection and Sap
It’s interesting if you know anything about vines and branches. The lifeblood of a branch is the sap. It’s this liquidy, has minerals and nutrients in it, and just like blood for us that brings us nutrients, and minerals, and moisture, sap to a vine means everything. I was walking out in our backyard, and I saw a branch, and part of the branch had been broken, but it was still hanging on the vine.
It was still hanging on the piece of the other branch. That whole branch had green leaves, and it looked healthy, but the part that was broken and disconnected had gray leaves and had died. Similarly, with us, if we get disconnected too often and too much, we will be broken and we will die. We’ll feel separated from God. There’ll be doubts. We’ll feel like we’re not saved. It can be tough. But I want to help you through this program to be connected, to have that sap flowing.
The Core of Christianity
I have to state this, and I hope you get this. Christianity, at its essence, at its core, although it’s a religion, we have rules, and rituals, and regulations, and we go to church, and there’s obligations, at its core, it’s not going to church.
Yes, I want you to go to church certainly. Keep the Sabbath at its core. It’s not even obligations. It’s not ritual. It’s not rubrics. At its core, it’s a connection with a living person, the living person of Jesus Christ. Yes, go to church. Yes, fulfill the obligations, participate in ritual, give yourself in service. Those things are really important, but at its core, that’s not what saves us. At its core, it’s our connection with Christ, and we have symbols for this. We have been baptized into Jesus. There’s that immersion, that connection with Christ. Jesus gives us this image from the Old Testament of a vine in branches because of the flow, the sap. If you’re a Catholic Christian, we have Mass, and at Mass, we have something called the doxology at the very end, right before Communion, where we say, «Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, Almighty Father, forever and ever, amen».
It’s that «through Jesus, in Jesus, with Jesus». This is so important, and a lot of people don’t get it because they think that Christianity is just one more religion among many, and all religions are more or less the same. No, they’re not more or less the same. No other religion has a connection with a person like this, where we get the life from the person himself, the risen Jesus. Extremely important that you understand that the core of Christianity, it’s baptism into Christ. It’s becoming one with Jesus. It’s Communion. It’s unity. It’s connection on the vine. Christianity has been and always will be more than following a set of teachings or obeying a bunch of laws. It’s about a living relationship with Jesus the head and we are the body. He’s the risen Son of God. We are the living body, connected, one, communion.
What Abide Means
I think you get the message. Jesus used the word «abide». The word «abide» means to stay with, to be attached to, to be connected to, to remain in. And I’m praying that as you watch this program right now, there will be a flow, an anointing. As you listen to this program on radio, you will sense this grace from God coming to you as you listen, this flow that we need. The minerals, the nutrients, the moisture, the grace, the power, the ability, the Holy Spirit blessing, the anointing that can only come from God. I’m praying you will get reconnected.
Ways to Abide
So how do you abide? We abide by watching these programs, listening to programs like this. You wouldn’t have stayed with me this long had you not wanted to abide, staying connected, listening, focusing, concentrating on Jesus. And there’s other ways, of course. Read the Scriptures, read the Bible, spend a little bit of time each day in the Word of God. That’s a way to connect, good spiritual books. I wrote a book about Jesus called «Come Encounter Jesus,» and I talk in this book more about abiding in Christ, how to abide, what it means to abide, receiving the flow. It’s important that you read good spiritual book. Listen to good spiritual music. Good spiritual music can help you to abide. I love that song, «Awesome God».
There’s so many songs that are beautiful that help you to just relax and to abide, simply concentrating on Jesus, focusing on Jesus. If you’re Catholic, celebrate the sacraments. You attend mass, participate in Mass, pray the Mass, receive Communion, receive reconciliation. For some of you, it’s been a long time. You simply go to reconciliation, reconnect, receive forgiveness for your sins. Sacraments are a touch of Jesus, and that sap will re-flow in you if you’ve lost that connection, and if you’ve remained connected, then simply celebrate the sacraments to stay, to abide, to stay connected. Remember what Jesus said: «Unless you abide in me, you cannot bear fruit,» and bearing fruit is extremely important.
And then, have an inner dialogue with Jesus through prayer throughout your day. «Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways, and he will guide your steps». Simply connect with him. Prayer is extremely important. It’s the life blood, the sap of a Christian. Strive for consistency. This is kingdom living, kingdom, living means that you’re not in the kingdom then out of the kingdom. You try to be consistent with your prayer life. Read the Scriptures every day. Have a lifestyle of connecting with Jesus. And when you find yourself getting pulled away, just simply stop and come back, reconnect, reconnect, reconnect. He will always receive you.
It says that in 1 John 3, we abide in Jesus when we believe, when we believe. Certainly we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but mature faith means trust. You connect with Jesus when you’re trusting him, and there’s so many situations in life that challenge our faith and challenge our trust.
Abiding Through Trust
I know a woman right now who I’m emailing. She’s a viewer of my program. She has been given a terminal diagnosis. She believes that she’s gonna die in about a month, and she says she’s ready, but she’s going through pain and difficulty, and it’s hard for her to trust. And I keep counseling her, trust Jesus as you’re going through this, stay connected. Not even death can separate us from the love of God that comes to us in Christ, and death is something that’s gonna happen to all of us. She’s trying her best to trust.
I have a cousin right now who on the day of this filming is undergoing an operation where she might lose her foot, and it was so hard for her to go into this operation, and I kept telling her trust God. He will make it work out for good. Trust keeps you abiding. It’s so much better than doubting, or living in fear, or being frantic. We all have an uncertain future. And by the way, I’m praying for my cousin right now and believing that God’s gonna work in her life in a beautiful way and also that woman who has that terminal disease, that God is gonna take her in a peaceful way, just as I hope and pray that he’ll take all of us when it is our time. And that’s the thing. We all have an uncertain future. Believing in God doesn’t just mean that God exists.
Of course, he exists. But it means trusting that he has our best interest in mind, and as we have that flow, that he’s gonna take care of us. That’s kingdom living. It’s being kept in Christ. But I’ve been talking about this whole series. That abiding, that flow, it’s so beautiful. Really, I don’t understand why there are wars, immigration, abortions, crime, accidents. I don’t understand at all why the universe is so chaotic, although it has been because of original sin, but I trust God in the midst of it. That’s how I abide. That’s how I stay connected. And that’s just what the Scriptures are telling us.
Meditating on the Passion
How do we abide? Many different ways: reading, celebrating the sacraments, listening to music, watching programs like this. Certainly, we abide by believing, by trusting.
That’s how we have that beautiful flow, trusting God. And I pray right now, if you’ve been assailed by doubts, if you’ve been discouraged, that there will be a new flow in your life, that you will trust God. And then, there’s another way that we can abide that’s very special to me as a Passionist. I’m a Passionist religious, and we profess a vow to meditate on the Passion of Christ. I was walking at our retreat center the other day, and I walked by the Michelangelo’s Pieta, a depiction of it, and I thought about the sufferings of Mary and the sufferings of Jesus. And immediately, I had this connection, this wonderful abiding in Christ, this wonderful flow by meditating on the sufferings of Jesus.
This is something we Catholics do during Lent, especially when it comes to the stations of the cross or celebrating Mass. Mass is the remembrance of the Passion of Jesus. That connects us with Christ in a very special way as we meditate on the sufferings of Jesus, and I invite you to think about Jesus’s passion. Think about Mary and how she suffered, and watch how it connects you. And here’s an important note that I wanted to share with you. When it comes to abiding, you might think, well, when you abide, shouldn’t you be feeling all these feelings and be uplifted. Sometimes, yes, but a lot of times, no. Abiding is a simple decision and choice that you make to come to Christ, to spend time reading, to have a lifestyle of prayer, and you don’t always feel it, but eventually you will because of that flow. It will lift you up. It will strengthen you. Abiding is extremely important.
Choose to abide. Another way to do it really quickly is simply by thinking about Jesus, being in his presence. Seventeenth century Brother Lawrence, practicing the presence of God, «And I abide by simple attentiveness, habitually looking to him,» that’s what Brother Lawrence said, «a wordless, secret conversation between the soul and God». You talk to God throughout your day. One of the prayers that I like to pray is, «Holy Spirit, lead me, guide me, control me, use me». See, that’s the kingdom of God. That’s kingdom living. You’re connected with the Holy Spirit. You’re allowing the flow of Jesus to flow within you. You are abiding with Christ, and I’m praying that for you, that as you watch this program, you will make a decision to reconnect, to have that beautiful flow.
The Fruit God Desires
I’ve said before, «Farmers want fruit because it produces income, then why should we be fruitful»?
What kind of fruit are we looking for? By the way they prune plants, put manure around. Remember Jesus told that parable about being fruitful? There was a farmer that went to the tree, and it wasn’t bearing fruit, and he was gonna cut it down, and the gardener said, «No, wait, don’t cut it down. Let’s give it a little more time. I’ll put manure around it. Give it some more time, and then if it doesn’t bear fruit, then cut it down». This was a ominous parable. Jesus was telling that «if you’re not bearing fruit, you’re gonna be cut down,» but God is merciful. He allows time, gives us some manure. What’s the manure? Difficult circumstances at times, sometimes smelly circumstances. But the bottom line is is that God is at work in you and me so that eventually, hopefully sooner than later, because we don’t know how much time we have, we will bear fruit.
God wants fruit. He wants fruit from us, and what does that mean that God wants fruit? What’s the fruit that God wants? Let me make it very simple. Number one, God wants a relationship. That is key. When we talk about fruitfulness, when Jesus said, «Abide in me, and you will bear fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing,» but I like to say, «In him, you can do everything». Number one, a relationship with God, something personal, something real, a flow, the flow of the Holy Spirit. That is the fruit-bearing that God wants, and that’s the restoration. We had fallen from God, and God’s bringing us back. Think about that sap, that lifeblood, that flow. Your responsibility is to try to abide by making good decisions. God’s responsibility is to have that flow, that grace, that anointing come into us.
Number one, relationship with God, really, really important. Number two, what about the fruit of the Spirit? Fruit of the Spirit, of course, that’s listed in Galatians 5, «Patience and kindness, love, joy, goodness». God wants us to develop, and fruit, by the way, ripens. God wants us to develop the character of Christ, to become like Jesus, to have a Christlike character. And then of course, the fruit, number one: stay connected, relationship with God. Number two: become Christlike.
And then number three, of course: God wants productivity. That’s the produce that God wants. You realize your potential, develop your talents, become all that you can be. You know the saying that I have in my ministry: who you are is God’s gift to you, but who you become is your gift to God. Really crucial that God has put talents and gifts in us, and that sap, that flow helps us to develop them so that we can make a difference in the world. We want to help people to become all that they can be, and that’s one of the foundations of my ministry. I always say, «Don’t just live, live with passion, enthusiasm, develop your potential, become all that you can be». Apart from Jesus, you can’t do it, but in Jesus, you can do it. «Apart from me, you can do nothing, but in Jesus, you can do everything». «All things are possible for the one who believes,» and as you stay connected, you can bear much fruit.
So this is the fruit that God is looking for, not so much grapes, or bananas, or apples, but a relationship. They go like this, stay connected. Christ’s likeness, becoming like Jesus, and making a difference, being a witness, showing the way for others to become and to have eternal life. Real simple, not complicated.
Reconnect and Bear Fruit
But again, I’m gonna state this, the core of Christianity, it is a religion, but it’s not so much rubrics or rituals, but that’s part of it. Its connection with a person. I’m praying that for you right now as you’re watching, especially if you’ve been disconnected.
Now is your time to reconnect. Make a decision that you’re gonna make it a lifestyle to stay, to abide, to remain in Jesus. Jesus associated the kingdom with this person. Kingdom living is being connected. The kingdom of God is in our midst now. As we stay connected, we’re receiving the kingdom of God. Christianity really is, I’ve prayed about it and lived it. It’s revolutionary. I’ve never seen any type of religion like this. It is a religion, but more than following a set of rubrics, or rules, or regulations, as I said, it’s attachment to a living person. As you abide and stay connected, the flow and the sap will change you, deepen you. You will become all that you are meant to be.
And at Mass, the doxology, «Through him, with him, in him,» that’s Christianity in a nutshell. It’s being in Christ. All over the place in the New Testament, talks about being in Christ. Paul, the apostle, «It’s no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me». He has died and risen in Christ, and so are we through baptism. And just to let you know, when you bear fruit, and this is what God wants from us, that’s how you glorify God. That’s how you honor God. That brings glory to God. In fact, Paul, the apostle, said, «Whether you’re eating or drinking, do all for the glory of God».
Bearing fruit, more than a doctrine, more than a suggestion, it’s the purpose, it’s the meaning of life. People are saying, you know, «What is the meaning of life? What’s my purpose»? To bear fruit! And what is the fruit that I’m talking about? I’m gonna reiterate this 'cause I want you to get it: relationship with God, being filled with the Holy Spirit. Number two: becoming Christlike. And number three: making a difference in your life, real simple. And Jesus, once again, this beautiful teaching at the Last Supper, where there was wine, he «said, I am the vine; you are the branches. Abide in me, remain in me, stay connected to me, and you will bear much fruit,» and so glorify your heavenly Father, and I’m praying that you will reconnect, you will experience that wonderful flow of grace, you will bear much fruit in your life and make a difference. Don’t just live, live with passion.