Fifth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 53
Reading 1
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 2
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,
Being Christians and listening to the Word of God sets ourselves apart from the rest of the world. Society sets forth daily expectations that influence our actions and thoughts, yet we are expected to focus first on the expectations put forth by Jesus Christ. What society expects from us becomes secondary and is relegated to a lesser status in comparison. Even though this is the case, when we fulfill what Jesus wants us to do, that which should be secondary is also fulfilled to a higher degree than would have been done in the first place. This is inevitable because what Jesus offers us is a pathway to perfection. He is perfect. When we welcome what is perfect into our lives, His presence will overflow into everything that we do. We become His instrument, and He becomes the tool master. Utilizing us to the highest degree possible. We are then influenced by His presence. The Holy Spirit, the Love of God, will then flow through us and into the world. The Apostle John emphasizes this in his letter today. We must reflect on the fact that what we say in speech has to be put into action. It is far easier to say one thing and then do another. Words mean nothing unless they are backed by action. As Christian, we must put the words of God into action, thus manifesting what is said into good deeds to be an example to the rest of the world and to evangelize the faith. As Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you.” That kingdom can then be revealed to the rest of the world through our works and our reaction to that presence.
Jesus further said, “Remain in me and I will remain in you.” This is a promise that He will never abandon us and is a reminder that it is us, through the presence of Original Sin, that we have a propensity to abandon Him while He would never abandon us. The vine is ever-present, giving nourishment to the branches while giving the branches life and the possibility to bear fruit. If a branch does not bear fruit, it is not the vine’s fault but that of the branch who has refused that nourishment. The branches, who we all are, have that choice to receive that nourishment or to refuse it. Jesus wants us to bear much fruit and to flourish in our lives. When we do flourish, all those around us are offered that same possibility and become benefactors as a result. Those affected are then offered the same opportunity that we had and are then offered the same choice. The more fruit the better. Those who refuse the nourishment understand, either consciously or subconsciously, that there is only one end for them: the branch will be broken off and cast into the fire. This is not a threat, but a statement of the obvious. Ignorance is no excuse. The truth has been presented. The responsibility is ours to react to that truth.
Living in this world is not always easy. We will often find ourselves struggling with what Jesus wants and what we might want, motivated by our disordered desires. We will all make bad choices and do things against the will of God, taking our own wills back instead. Oftentimes, this will put us in a bad place and cause chaos within our lives. The key to overcoming these situations is to acknowledge when we have gone astray and to make the adjustments necessary to get back to where we were previously, in the sunlight of the spirit, and to allow Jesus to give us the nourishment necessary to be healed from our malady. Life is not a constant. Jesus understands this. This is why we have been given the gifts of Sacramental Grace through the Church, to include Reconciliation and the Eucharist (the body and blood of Jesus Christ). Just as we have to nourish ourselves physically and mentally, we must nourish our souls the same way.
Continuing our celebration of the Easter Joy, we have been reminded throughout this past week that Jesus is our shepherd, and He is the vine that has the capability the nourish us and keep us strong. If we are open to His presence and the transformative experience He offers, we will be fed and cared for. As a result, we can then offer what He has given to us to all those we interact with. As a result, more branches will grow, and more fruit will be produced.
Deacon Tom
