Remain
According to Jesus, the Gospel verb remain does not mean to stay, to stop, to resist, to stay in a place. According to Jesus, remain has meaning and significance only if considered in the light of the power of unity and communion.
According to the Gospel, to remain, without being united, means to challenge, to stop. Without living in unity, it is slavery. Resisting without seeking union is fanaticism. Staying there without experiencing unity is laziness.
Jesus asks to remain in Him, in His Word, but in unity, in intimate communion with Him, with life, with every living creature, with our brothers. We cannot remain in any reality of life unless we are in deep communion with that reality. Duty, commitments, jobs, responsibilities, without the power of unity, without the fragrance of communion, produce fruits of intolerance, indifference, laziness, unconcern, fear, anger, conflict and destruction. Satan has been working on this and for this since always, flawlessly and successfully. Satan and his children devise every possible strategy to ensure that, whatever we think, do, say, and live, we will become divided within ourselves, with others and with God. Satan is very cautious and acute in tempting us and follows specific, guaranteed procedures. Except in very rare cases when he has already won the battle, Satan never tempts us to cause harm to the extent that we feel completely separated from God because he is perfectly aware that this would cause a powerful longing and anxiety in us so that our own heart would passionately seek to go back to God and His love.
Satan must tempt each of God's children to do evil and to betray love continuously, but without overdoing, so as to make us feel guilty and unworthy to pray to God and to have a peaceful relationship with Him. Satan's goal is not to lead man to separate from God too early. Man must feel disappointment towards him/herself to the point that he/she separates him/herself from others, from God, but without ever separating him/herself completely.
Communion and unity with God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, with ourselves, with our brothers, with all creation is the way. Unity with God, always, whatever the cost, in the days of sin as well as in those of holiness, of glory, of shame, of condemnation and reason. Whatever happens and troubles us, whoever harms or blesses us, always remain in unity and communion with God by means of a open, wide, boundless, secret, loving, inner smile. That is how to remain in Jesus and to bear fruit of His fruit.