"I am the Vine and you are the branches" Jesus tells us. Without Him we cannot bear fruit for the Kingdom. Cut off from Him we are swirling aimlessly in this world.
The Spirit of Christ is the sap that runs through the branches enabling us to bear fruit, thus any good that we do must be measured by both love and truth. If either love or truth is missing then the fruit is spoiled.
Even if at times we are painfully pruned, we must remain in Christ; drawing from His word and keeping His commandments. We must remain in communion with the one Catholic Church He instituted and to which He passed on His authority. Unity is essential! The greatest scandal in Christianity is our disunity, not so much caused by a lack of love but because points of truth have been distorted.
