{"id":27148,"date":"2026-06-12T10:03:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T14:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=27148"},"modified":"2026-06-12T10:03:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T14:03:19","slug":"embracing-the-divine-exchange-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=27148","title":{"rendered":"Embracing The Divine Exchange"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Carole King - You&#039;ve Got A Friend [Lyrics]\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/htc9S2PsNkg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Remain in Me as I Remain in You<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Friday, June 12, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus said, \u201cRemain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing\u2026. <strong>As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.\u201d \u2014John 15:4\u20135, 9<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>In this homily, Father Richard speaks of Jesus\u2019s desire for us to remain connected<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I want you to be honest: Would you rather have a friend who is always right or one who is in right relationship with you? I think I know the answer: We\u2019d rather have someone who\u2019s in right relationship with us. In fact, someone who\u2019s right all the time can be pretty obnoxious. Would we rather have a friend who\u2019s always correct or a friend to whom we\u2019re always connected? Of course, we\u2019d rather have the second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So why did we in the West seemingly change the rules for God? <strong>Many of us grew up thinking God wanted us to be right, to be correct, even to be perfect. This passage in John\u2019s Gospel is saying that God wants people who are in right relationship, which means that we are open, and that we can listen to others with understanding and compassion. It means that we can admit when we\u2019re wrong, which is almost every day for most of us. It certainly is for me.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet we keep condemning ourselves and others for not being perfect, for not being right, or for not being correct. This parable, one of the most beautiful in all the Gospels, tells us what <strong>God desires\u2014simply that we remain connected, a branch on the vine, which is the love of God.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everybody seems to be trying to prove that they are right. We have almost a collective incapacity to admit failure, to ever admit that we are wrong, which makes us liars most of the time. Jesus is calling forth a very different kind of human being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jesus says people who live a vulnerable life of connection and relationship will bear much fruit. These are the people we trust, like, and admire, so why are so many of us afraid to be the very thing that we admire the most?<\/strong> How foolish human beings are! But again, J<strong>esus has told us the way: He is the vine; we are the branches. None of us can be or need to be correct, but we can always be connected.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reference:<\/strong><br>Adapted from Richard Rohr, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/cac.org\/podcasts\/being-connected-over-being-correct\/\">Being Connected over Being Correct<\/a>,\u201d homily, April 28, 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>John Chaffee&#8217;s Five On Friday<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><br><strong>1.<\/strong><br><strong>\u201cDear God,<\/strong><br><strong>I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!<\/strong><br><strong>Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to?<\/strong><br><strong>Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?<\/strong><br><strong>Please help me to gradually open my hands<\/strong><br><strong>and to discover that I am not what I own,<\/strong><br><strong>but what you want to give me.&#8221;<\/strong><br><strong>&#8211;\u00a0<\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclicks.aweber.com%2Fy%2Fct%2F%3Fl%3DoaMY%26m%3Dg_JudV61_r0RJVk%26b%3D_8AgmWgyRtrz4Q.z07Gedg&amp;data=05%7C02%7C%7Cadef5493297142add2b608dec886be27%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639168678222489680%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=Vt1k2sx8Ysr%2FGJV7L%2Bw2Xh3vndWAc7LGazdUiLoQ8lk%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Henri Nouwen, Dutch Catholic Priest<\/strong><\/a><br>\u00a0<br>This is best if you read it slowly.<br>\u00a0<br>It is a simple prayer, but I deeply resonate with it.<br>\u00a0<br>Probably just as many of you, I have a difficult time letting go of controlling outcomes, and figuring out what it means to give to the world who I am, rather than what I think I have to offer.<br>\u00a0<br>I think that is why Henri Nouwen resonates with many of us. \u00a0Apparently, he was an Enneagram 2, also known as a &#8220;Helper.&#8221; \u00a0He had incredibly rich and deep emotions from which he wrote his most impressive books. \u00a0He was able to put into words what many of us experience, but for some reason or another are unable to voice!<br><br><strong>2.<\/strong><br><strong>\u201cA genius is the one most like himself.&#8221;<\/strong><br><strong>&#8211;\u00a0<\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclicks.aweber.com%2Fy%2Fct%2F%3Fl%3DoaMY%26m%3Dg_JudV61_r0RJVk%26b%3DsKEslJYfIxJv9rYnMNkAcA&amp;data=05%7C02%7C%7Cadef5493297142add2b608dec886be27%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639168678222518715%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=niPFTy4P2fuBF76fMKfGvg9G3EMdedr6z0LD4eAoTWo%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thelonius Monk, American Jazz Pianist<\/strong><\/a><br>\u00a0<br>Jazz is a form of pure expression.<br>\u00a0<br>Not only that, but you must be a master of your instrument to such a degree that improvisation is normalized.<br>\u00a0<br>It might be that the more we settle into our true selves, like a musician who has mastered his craft, the better we are able to navigate the ebbs and flows of life. \u00a0Is it possible that the more we set aside our masks and learn to let go of our false self, we can then act more and more directly and straight from the essence of who God made us to be?<br>\u00a0<br>Is it not possible that life and jazz actually have very much in common?<br><br><strong>3.<\/strong><br><strong>\u201cHave enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.&#8221;<\/strong><br><strong>&#8211;\u00a0<\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclicks.aweber.com%2Fy%2Fct%2F%3Fl%3DoaMY%26m%3Dg_JudV61_r0RJVk%26b%3DofUt6sY.xpfYdg66Z5u5oQ&amp;data=05%7C02%7C%7Cadef5493297142add2b608dec886be27%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639168678222542553%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=SVytXB7HUiWItavk%2BuR0hxxEs2ShkOF3hbnwDISgqrg%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Maya Angelou, American Poet<\/strong><\/a><br>\u00a0<br>It takes an enormous amount of courage to love, doesn&#8217;t it?<br>\u00a0<br>We each have various scars and bruises from either failed attempts to love others or from their failed attempts to love us.<br>\u00a0<br>This reminds me of the opening lines of\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclicks.aweber.com%2Fy%2Fct%2F%3Fl%3DoaMY%26m%3Dg_JudV61_r0RJVk%26b%3DFG5O5qCFeHmYK0dfrPJ4_Q&amp;data=05%7C02%7C%7Cadef5493297142add2b608dec886be27%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639168678222564773%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=GW6zP2bshHpif0CD41PoOc8SrvX1FRuSuQJRfNDRSaI%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\">1 Corinthians 13:1-3&#8230;<\/a><br>\u00a0<br><em>&#8220;If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.\u00a0<strong>2\u00a0<\/strong>If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.\u00a0<strong>3\u00a0<\/strong>If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.&#8221;<\/em><br>\u00a0<br>We must choose to have the courage to love and love again and again, because without it, there is nothing else that matters.<br><br><strong>4.<\/strong><br><strong>\u201cSeek first the Kingdom of God: that is, the first order of business is to transform one&#8217;s own inner life, not the accumulation of external trappings of speculative knowledge.&#8221;<\/strong><br><strong>&#8211;\u00a0<\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclicks.aweber.com%2Fy%2Fct%2F%3Fl%3DoaMY%26m%3Dg_JudV61_r0RJVk%26b%3D5OXvprars1oqHRWFJLi_HQ&amp;data=05%7C02%7C%7Cadef5493297142add2b608dec886be27%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639168678222586411%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=tJWofWhQiWo74QCtFYS4LE5AHpMdpw%2FYsn0jpis0I2g%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Jack Caputo, Philosopher and Theologian<\/strong><\/a><br>\u00a0<br>It is very likely that we mistake the &#8220;Kingdom of God&#8221; as being something external.<br>\u00a0<br>However, unless the Kingdom of God exists within us first, then any external Kingdom of God would be utterly subverted or invalidated by our own internal chaos, ruining it for others.<br>\u00a0<br>One thing that is interesting in the Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew 5-7) is that Jesus seems to highlight not external actions but internal motivations. \u00a0This is because he is concerned with matters of the heart, from which we act out our vices or virtues and either tear down or build up the world around us.<br>\u00a0<br>Systematic theology, for all its good, can easily be a trap. \u00a0It can be an academic discipline through which we spend so much time, energy, and thought attempting to understand God logically, and yet never get around to the vulnerable work of allowing the Spirit of God to conform our inner landscapes into the redemptive shalom that God wishes it to become.<br>\u00a0<br>If I had to guess, Jack Caputo is not exactly putting down theology as an academic discipline anywhere near as much as he is encouraging us to hold it in its proper place.<br><br><strong>5.<\/strong><br><strong>\u201cFind the real world, give it endlessly away, grow rich flinging good to all who ask. Live at the empty heart of paradox. I\u2019ll dance there with you &#8211; cheek to cheek.&#8221;<\/strong><br><strong>&#8211;\u00a0<\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclicks.aweber.com%2Fy%2Fct%2F%3Fl%3DoaMY%26m%3Dg_JudV61_r0RJVk%26b%3Dq6eYEURUclP1HopKaOhCzQ&amp;data=05%7C02%7C%7Cadef5493297142add2b608dec886be27%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639168678222607419%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=aq8EO3D4x7aXNVv1KKZkqKATq1H3yNj%2FjO4p17NvFNY%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Rumi, Sufi Poet<\/strong><\/a><br>\u00a0<br>This is just delightful.<br>\u00a0<br>&#8220;Grow rich flinging good to all who ask.&#8221; \u00a0That&#8217;s a great line.<br>\u00a0<br>Then, after commenting on the paradox, it takes an intimate turn, talking about dancing cheek to cheek.<br>\u00a0<br>These three sentences do more for me than three whole books on generosity, paradox, and intimate joy.<br>\u00a0<br>The older I get, the more I appreciate poetry.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Remain in Me as I Remain in You Friday, June 12, 2026 Jesus said, \u201cRemain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27148"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27148"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27150,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27148\/revisions\/27150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}