5 Sunday of Easter, year B, 28 April 2024

Abide in Me, and I in You

Introduction: May you continue to grow and bear much fruit as you draw life-giving sustenance from the Lord Jesus.

Every spring one would prune the branches of vine and cut off the dead parts that were attached to the vine. Sometimes we may feel too much but by late summer there would have bunches of grapes growing on the vine. It was necessary to prune the branches so that the vine could pump the nourishment to branches that would bear much fruit. The branches that were attached to the main vine produced great fruit. 

We are branches that must remain attached to the Vine of Jesus. Without being bound to the Lord Jesus, we will not bear fruit. We, too, must often be pruned of our deadness so we can produce a rich harvest, not just for ourselves, but also for others.

Our readings present some key concepts of the nature of the Church. The Acts of the Apostles reminds us that the Church is made up of humans who are suspicious of others, yet with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they can grow and be at peace. The psalm provides a look at some key attributes which are related to the Church. The First Letter of John warns believers that having a relationship with Jesus is more than intellectual agreement to statements of faith. In today’s Gospel we hear part of Jesus’ “Last Supper Discourse,” in which He speaks of Himself as the source of life and the vitality for those who desire to bear the fruits which GOD intends them to produce.

First Reading: Acts 9:26-31. Barnabas explained how the Lord had appeared to Saul on his journey

Commentary: This reading is the first news that we have had that the Church has spread beyond Jerusalem. Paul has received his vision of the Risen Christ and has joined the disciples, being baptised at Damascus. Then, according to his letters, he went off to Arabia for three years before going up to Jerusalem. Paul’s arguing with the Hellenists (or Greeks) is a foretaste of his bringing the Gospel to those beyond the borders of Judaism. His fearless proclamation of the gospel message, both in Damascus and in Jerusalem, is a characteristic of work of the early missioners. We have already come across it in the fearless proclamation of the message by Peter before the Jewish authorities. It will continue throughout the Acts of the Apostles, even till the end, when we see Paul proclaiming the message during his captivity in Rome. How are we to spread the gospel fearlessly? Perhaps mostly by sticking up for Christian principles in moral behaviour, such as the protection of life, the rights of the poor and disadvantaged, fearlessly facing the issues of justice, war and peace, and sexual morality. But it must also be a proclamation in love and peace.

Responsorial Psalm 21(22):26-28,30-32: You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.

The psalm enables us to reflect on some characteristics that speak not only of the believers hundreds of years before Jesus, but also of those who gather in the name of Jesus from the time of Jesus until today. The refrain is a reminder that the purpose of believers gathering together (assembling) is to praise the LORD. The Hebrew concept of assembly (those called to gather as a group) led to the usage of the term synagogue. The Greek equivalent was ekklesia from which we have the English words “ecclesiastical” or “ecclesial” meaning “of or relating to the Church.” The Church, by its very name, is an assembly or gathering of people who come together to praise GOD.

Another “ecclesial” reflection flowing from the psalm is the universality of the Church. Verse 28 speaks of “all the ends of the earth” and “all the families of nations” turning to the LORD and bowing down before GOD. The Church is called to be “catholic” or “universal” or “world-wide.”

The psalm also reminds us of the attributes of being evangelical and reaching beyond the boundaries of human life. We hear that “all who sleep in the earth” will also praise GOD and that “the coming generation be told of the LORD.” The members of GOD’s assembly (the “Church”) are not limited to those living right here and right now. It extends to those who have died in faith and to those who are yet to come.

Second Reading: 1 John 3:18-24: The commandment of faith and love.

Commentary: These two commandments will dominate the rest of the letter. They are not exactly the classic two commandments of the Law, reiterated by Jesus, to love God above all and our neighbour as ourselves. The two commandments of God here are firstly to believe in the power or name of the Risen Christ, and secondly to love one another. One might say that belief in the power of the Risen Christ is an application of love for God, an aspect which is especially relevant during Eastertide. The saving power of Christ flows out from God’s care for ourselves, and belief in it must both be a response in love and provoke love and gratitude. It must also make us fearless before God, full of the love which casts out fear, since the power of Christ’s resurrection is a guarantee of God’s acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice for us. It saves us from our own sin and disobedience. It brings also fearlessness before a hostile world, with the fearlessness of which we heard in Paul’s preaching in the first reading. It must also inspire fulfilment of the second commandment, love of neighbour. Such belief, issuing in love, form the criteria for knowing that the Spirit is dwelling within us.

Gospel: John 15:1-8: I am the vine, you are the branches.

Commentary: The vine had long been a beloved symbol of Israel. It was used by Isaiah 5.1-7 to express the LORD’s complaint at the unresponsiveness of Israel. It was used by Ezekiel 15 in his painstaking unpicking of the proud symbols of Israel. It was used by Jesus in the parable of the Wicked Vine-dressers (Mark 12.1-12) to shame the irresponsible current leaders of Israel.  Now, in the Last Supper discourse, on the way to Gethsemane it acquires a new dimension, the pain of pruning. However, the suffering of Jesus is not the principal point here: disciples of Jesus must be prepared to bear the pain of pruning.

The image is a powerful one. To an uninstructed onlooker the wretched, seemingly lifeless twigs left on the vines appear totally unable to burgeon in a few months into the rich harvest of grapes. The most powerful of all the aspects of the symbol is the sap pulsing through those apparently dead branches. There is all the difference in the world between those docked shoots and the dead twigs scattered on the ground. Investigation into the heresies and divisions, the trials and persecutions symbolised by such pruning is all very well, but adherence to the vine, to Christ himself, alone gives life to the Church.

Reflections: Why does Jesus speak of himself as the true vine? The image of the vine was a rich one for the Jews since the land of Israel was covered with numerous vineyards. It had religious connotations to it as well. Isaiah spoke of the house of Israel as "the vineyard of the Lord"(Isaiah 5:7). Jeremiah said that God had planted Israel "as his choice vine" (Jeremiah 2:21). While the vine became a symbol of Israel as a nation, it also was used in the Scriptures as a sign of degeneration - a deformed state of spiritual growth and moral decline. Isaiah's prophecy spoke of Israel as a vineyard which "yielded wild grapes" (see Isaiah 5:1-7). Jeremiah said that Israel had become a "degenerate and wild vine" (Jeremiah 2:21). 

One must be firmly rooted in the "Tree of Life": When Jesus calls himself the true vine he makes clear that no one can grow in spiritual fruitfulness and moral goodness unless they are rooted in God and in his life-giving word. Religious affiliation or association with spiritually minded people is not sufficient by itself - one must be firmly rooted in the "Tree of Life" (Revelation 22:1-2, Genesis 2:8-9) who is the eternal Father and his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus makes a claim which only God can make - he is the true source of life that sustains us and makes us fruitful in living the abundant life which God has for us. It is only through Jesus Christ that one can be fully grafted into the true "vineyard of the Lord". 

Bearing the fruit of righteousness, peace, and joy: Jesus offers true life - the abundant life which comes from God and which results in great fruitfulness. How does the vine become fruitful? The vine dresser must carefully prune the vine before it can bear good fruit. Vines characteristically have two kinds of branches - those which bear fruit and those which don't. The non-bearing branches must be carefully pruned back in order for the vine to conserve its strength for bearing good fruit. Jesus used this image to describe the kind of life he produces in those who are united with him - the fruit of "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Jesus says there can be no fruit in our lives apart from him. The fruit he speaks of here is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). 

There is a simple truth here: We are either fruit-bearing or non-fruit-bearing. There is no in-between. But the bearing of healthy fruit requires drastic pruning. The Lord promises that we will bear much fruit if we abide in him and allow him to purify us. Do you trust in the Lord's healing and transforming power to give you the abundant life and fruit of his heavenly kingdom?

"Lord Jesus, may I be one with you in all that I say and do. Draw me close that I may glorify you and bear fruit for your kingdom. Inflame my heart with your love and remove from it anything that would make me ineffective or unfruitful in loving and serving you as my All." 

The peace of the resurrection: “The Church was at peace.” —Acts 9:31. When the risen Jesus met the women leaving the tomb, He gave the customary Jewish greeting, “Shalom” (Peace) (Mt 28:9). When the risen Jesus met the apostles on the first Resurrection evening, He again said “Shalom” (Peace) (Jn 20:19, 21). Likewise, Jesus wants to give us peace for an Easter present.

Jesus left us peace in His last will and testament. He promised: “ ‘Peace’ is My farewell to you, My peace is My gift to you; I do not give it to you as the world gives peace” (Jn 14:27). His peace is not based on circumstances. His peace can be present even at the funeral home or hospital, in divorce or rejection, and in painful suffering. Jesus wants us to be “at peace before Him no matter what our consciences may charge us with” (1 Jn 3:19-20). Even if we still feel guilty after confessing our sins because of a scrupulous conscience, Jesus will give us a peace we never dreamed possible, a peace “beyond all understanding” (Phil 4:7).

Jesus is our Peace (Eph 2:14). When we surrender to Him by doing His will instead of ours (see Mt 26:39), we make peace. When we surrender in the “battle of wills” between the Lord’s will and ours, we win peace. Win peace, make peace, surrender to Jesus Who is our Peace.

Prayer:  Father, may I be a peacemaker (see Mt 5:9) by denying myself and obeying You. “I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who lives in Me and I in him, will produce abundantly, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” —Jn 15:5m Praise You, risen Jesus, Victor over death. “All the families of the nations shall bow down before” You (Ps 22:28).

The personal action for today: What does it mean to be a branch who is attached to the life-giving Vine? Do I only see my relationship to GOD to be an intellectual pursuit, a personal one-on-one with GOD? How do I see that I am part of community of believers who are called to be united together with the life-giving Vine? What are some of the fruits of my relationship with GOD that are evident to others and that might draw them into a closer relationship with GOD and with other believers?