January 17, 2026
In the Diocese of Quincy, Bishop Morales frequently says to the clergy and laity that he wants us to be “Rooted, Missional, and Compassionate.” The order is intentional, and it all starts with being rooted in Christ. Jesus said:
4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:4–7).
There’s a lot that could be said about “abiding/being rooted in Christ,” but today I want to highlight that abiding requires action—it’s both a gift and a task. It’s not something that happens passively. Like any relationship, you have to work at it, or it will wither and die. We continue to abide in Christ and nurture our relationship through obedience, prayer, the sacraments (enter through baptism, remain through the Eucharist), and reading the Gospels. This latter means of abiding in Christ is what Walking with Jesus is all about: keeping us rooted in Christ by reading about who he is, what he said, and what he did every day.
The image above is P22, a mid-third-century AD papyrus fragment of John 15:25–16:2. It is notable not only for its early date, but also for being the only known NT papyrus fragment to come from a scroll rather than a codex (what we might call a book).