Fifth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 53
Reading I
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples,
but they were all afraid of him,
not believing that he was a disciple.
Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles,
and he reported to them how he had seen the Lord,
and that he had spoken to him,
and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.
He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem,
and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord.
He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,
but they tried to kill him.
And when the brothers learned of this,
they took him down to Caesarea
and sent him on his way to Tarsus.
The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace.
It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (26a) I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear the LORD.
The lowly shall eat their fill;
they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
“May your hearts live forever!”
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the LORD;
all the families of the nations
shall bow down before him.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
To him alone shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth;
before him shall bend
all who go down into the dust.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
And to him my soul shall live;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading II
Children, let us love not in word or speech
but in deed and truth.
Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth
and reassure our hearts before him
in whatever our hearts condemn,
for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence in God
and receive from him whatever we ask,
because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
and the way we know that he remains in us
is from the Spirit he gave us.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in me as I remain in you, says the Lord.
Whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain 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.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
Before the Apostle Paul was who he was he was a very different person. Named Saul, he was a Pharisee and a persecutor of Christians. So zealous was his nature he was feared by Christian Communities throughout the region. He methodically terrorized, imprisoned, and organized the death of countless Christians all in the name of God. It cannot be overstated how much of an impact he had on the persecution of the early Christians. All that changed upon his conversion when he was confronted by Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. The story did not end there. Paul was still feared and distrusted even though he changed his ways and started evangelizing The Faith in the name of Jesus Christ. The transformational experience that he had was too quick for many to accept and there was distrust regarding if his intentions were genuine. What happened to Paul is a reminder to us that we will face the same difficulties with people who cannot accept the transformative experience that Jesus can cause in a person which has the capability to change someone completely.
When living as a Christian we will find ourselves in a constant state of change. We are not the same people we were a year, a month, a day, or even an hour ago. The Holy Spirit is constantly at work within us and Jesus Christ is constantly molding us into better people spiritually, mentally, and physically. Some of the changes are massive and abrupt. Other changes are small and intricate. It is up to us to acknowledge these changes and react to them with the understanding that regardless of what we have done in the past, much like The Apostle Paul, we are no longer that person and are forgiven for our shortcomings as long as we acknowledged them and asked for forgiveness with a contrite heart. This may sound way too easy for many people since we live in a world where faults and accusations are used as weapons of destruction. God is beyond this world and Jesus Christ has already done the heavy lifting so that we may receive forgiveness of our sins. Yes, our sins are forgiven and we are indeed new creations every day of our lives regardless of what other people say.
It may bother us when people talk bad about us or cannot accept us as fellow Christians. Jesus Christ and the Sacred Scriptures offer instruction in this area.
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listento them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.” (MT 18:15-17)
“There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save or destroy. Who then are you to judge you neighbor?” (James 4:12)
We are not to judge. We are to correct with love, patience, tolerance, and understanding. This is the Christian way and if one is to call themselves Christian than this is the way one should conduct themselves. We all are sinners and are undeserving of salvation. Jesus Christ has offered salvation to all and, when this is realized, we all should conduct ourselves accordingly. We all need help. We all have made mistakes and will continue to make mistakes. No one is exempt from this and everyone needs Jesus Christ.
Sin is a devastating, evil force that we all succumb to many times in our lives. It causes damage to both us and all those that we interact with. We become broken and wounded as a result. It is through the love of Jesus Christ that the healing process begins. The Apostle John emphasizes this in his letter. As long as we follow Jesus and listen to Him everything is going to be okay. This should be out of love and not out of obligation. As long as we do everything out of love, including asking for forgiveness, then we will be able to overcome all that threatens to hurt or destroy us. It is through loving Jesus and loving one another that sin is avoided and we are healed when we do indeed sin. Jesus is our greatest advocate and greatest teacher. Treating Him as such brings about positive results. There can be no negative with Jesus Christ.
Jesus tells us that as long as we remain in Him then He will remain in us. We might be pruned and shaped, which will hurt at times, but this will be for our benefit. We will become better as a result. The Apostle Paul was indeed shaped and molded by Jesus. We are no different. It is with Jesus that we will discover our true purpose and the path to true joy in this life and the next. There is also a warning that Jesus makes: if we decide not to remain in Him then there will be consequences for that choice. This is not a threat but the truth that He gives: without Jesus and without the acknowledgement of God there is no truefvgvgbg future for us. When God is taken out of His creation and a relationship with Jesus is refused only bad things can result.
Jesus Christ wants to redeem and save everyone. He wants to heal all those who are wounded. It is up to us to accept what is being offered as well as react to His presence. The possibilities are endless as we have learned in the case of The Apostle Paul. No situation is too egregious to overcome and no one is beyond saving. This includes us.
Deacon Tom
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