Posted on 05/05/2012 8:07:10 PM PDT by Salvation
A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, May 6, 2012, the Fifth Sunday of Easter | Carl E. Olson
Readings:
Acts 9:26-31
Ps 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32
1 Jn 3:18-24
Jn 15:1-8
--snip--
No doubt there are Catholics who think this way, I wrote to him, but it is only because they do not understand the Churchs teaching. On one hand, we can have a moral certainty of our salvation. That is, we can know that we are right with God and that we have no mortal sin in our lives (cf., 1 Jn 5:16). But we never say that we know we are going to heaven for certain, for the simple reason we do not know what might happen between now and death. We cannot presume to know that we will remain in right relationship with God, even if we strongly desire to do so.
Put another way, we can know for certain if we are in a state of grace at this very moment, but we cannot presume well remain so. As Paul wrote, Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Cor 10:12) and If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us (2 Tim 2:12).
Todays Epistle and Gospel offer further insight into this truth. The Apostle John emphasizes that mere words are not enough when it comes to demonstrating a right relationship with God. Talking a good game means nothing if, as the old saying goes, we dont walk the talk. Rather, we must examine our hearts and keep his commandments and do what pleases him. This commandment is a matter of both faith and love. Faith alone, without charity, is not enough.
Shall we say, wrote Cyril of Alexandra, that faith bare and alone is sufficient for one to attain the fellowship that is from abovewill even the band of demons rise up to fellowship with God, since they acknowledge Gods unity and have believed that God exists? Mere knowledge is useless, he adds; abiding in Christ requires the wholehearted and transforming confession of piety.
In employing the metaphor of the vine and the branches, Jesus drew upon imagery very familiar to his disciples. In the Old Testament, Israel was often depicted as a vineyard (cf., Isa. 5; Jer. 5:10; 12:10-11), sometimes fruitful, sometimes not. He used this imagery in parables to describe the Kingdom of God (Matt 20:1-16; Lk 13:6-9). His use of it in John 15 is notable for its intimacy: I am the true vine, Jesus explains. Remains in me, he exhorts the disciples on the eve of his Passion, as I remain in you.
One of the apostles, of course, did not remain in Christ; the danger of cutting oneself off from the vine and eternal life is real. It can happen; tragically, it does happen. It is why we have recourse to Confession, which restores us to full communion with Christ and the Church. And, after confessing mortal sin, joined again to the Vine, we are able to receive the fruit of the Vine, the cup of salvation, the sacrament of love (CCC 1323).
He is our salvation; he is our security. For without him, we can do nothing.
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. Isaiahs 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). When Jesus calls himself the true vine he makes clear that no one can claim their spiritual inheritance through association with a particular people or bloodline. Rather, it is only through Jesus Christ that one can become grafted into the true vineyard of the Lord. Jesus offers true life the abundant life which comes from God and which results in great fruitfulness. How does the vine become fruitful? The vinedresser 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 dont. 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 Lords abiding presence with you?
Reflection written by Don Schwager of www.rc.net
Gospel (Read Jn 15:1-8)
Our reading today comes from a section of St. Johns Gospel that is often called the Last Supper discourse. After He washed the disciples feet, Jesus spoke at length with them in a most serious manner. This was straight talk; no more parables. We should be keenly interested in every word He had to say.
He begins with a dramatic statement: I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinegrower. To the Jewish ears of His apostles, these words brought to life Jesus unique identity as both human and divine. I am was Gods most holy Name, uttered only once a year by Israels High Priest on the Day of Atonement. Gods vine was Israel, the beloved people He formed for Himself through promises made to Abraham (see Ps 80:8-16; Isa 5:1-7; Jer 2:21). In this statement, so brief, Jesus helps the apostles understand that something new was about to begin in Him. The vine of Israel had become barren, fruitless. Recall how many parables Jesus used to describe problems in a vineyard. Now, He is taking up Israels true callingbearing fruit for Godand fulfilling it. At last, the Vinegrower will be pleased with His harvest. In addition, Jesus disciples will be branches on this healthy vine. The Father will remove the dead branches; He will prune the fruitful ones to bear more fruit. Jesus tells the apostles that one pruning has already taken place in them because of the word I spoke to you. The apostles had been called out of their ordinary lives and had been given the grace of hearing and seeing Gods own Truth in Jesus. Their yes to Him was their first pruning, in which they left everything for His sake. During the footwashing, Jesus had told them that although He washed their feet, they did not need to bathe all over because they were clean already, but not all of you. This helps us see the change that had taken place in the apostles by their association with Jesus, as well as the departure from that change chosen by Judas.
Now, He tells them to Remain in Me, as I remain in you. How would that happen if He left them? The communion they had enjoyed for three years would continue when Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to them on the Day of Pentecost. That was the day the apostles began baptizing converts into the life of the Spirit. Repentance, conversion, and baptism would make it possible for the followers of Jesus to have His own life in them. Jesus makes it clear that being His disciple was not simply a matter of trying to follow the example He had set in His earthly life and His teachings. That was perhaps the way it was with other great rabbis or leaders of religions in the world. No, Jesus says bluntly, without Me, you can do nothing. The disciples of Jesus are first changed on the inside, by the gift of being grafted into the life of Christ in baptism, as the Church teaches. Then, in the grace of our sacramental life, we are able to choose to follow His example of love. Pope Benedict describes this well:
The Fathers expressed the difference between these two aspects, as well as their mutual relationship, using the categories of sacramentum and exemplum: by sacramentum they mean, not any particular sacrament, but rather the entire mystery of ChristHis life and deathin which He draws close to us, enters us through His Spirit, and transforms us. But precisely because this sacramentum truly cleanses us, renewing us from within, it also unleashes a dynamic of new life. The command to do as Jesus did is no mere moral appendix to the mystery, let alone an antithesis to it. It follows from the inner dynamic of gift with which the Lord renews us and draws us into what is His. (Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week, pg 62)
Notice the outcome of a disciples fruitful life: Ask 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. When we engage in the work Jesus left us to doto spread the Gospel and to be perfected in loveour prayers will be answered. The answers, whenever and however they come, will show forth Gods glory. This is the unshakeable confidence we should have when we let what Jesus says sink in: Whoever remains in Me and I in him will bear much fruit.
What kind of fruit can we expect to bear? Listen to what the Church says:
For all their works, prayers, and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. In the celebration of the Eucharist these may most fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. And so, worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives. (CCC 901)
In other words, when we remain in the Vine, the whole world can be sanctified through us. What a beautiful harvest!
Possible response: Heavenly Father, I thank You that You have planted a fruitful Vine in this starving world. I offer today for Your harvest.
First Reading (Read Acts 9:26-31)
Here we have an account of Saul, the fire-breathing persecutor of Christians, after his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Just as the apostles lives had been changed (pruned) by their encounter with Jesus, Saul was a new man after his conversion. He immediately began preaching the Gospel in Damascus; later he visited Jerusalem. At first, of course, the disciples were wary of him. Was he secretly trying to infiltrate their community by pretending to be a believer? Barnabas, however, one of the leaders in the Church, took charge of him and brought him to the apostles. Their acceptance of him and his testimony meant that the Christians no longer feared him. Saul even took on the Hellenist Jews in debatethe very group he had himself encouraged as they stoned Stephen, the Churchs first martyr (see Acts 7:58-8:1). They wanted to kill Saul, too! Then his Christian brothers (now so different from their earlier terror) sent him away from danger to Tarsus, his hometown.
In this episode, Saul becomes an example of what Jesus describes in our Gospel reading; His encounter with a man is what changes him. Whereas once Saul was a branch without fruit in Israel, his encounter with Jesus put new life into himJesus own life. We can see that in the fact that the Hellenist Jews wanted to kill him. The life of Sauls Master had become his own life, too.
Finally, St. Luke describes the quiet growth of the early church in all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. It was being built up by the Holy Spirit. It was not a human organization, guided and empowered by the will of man. The life of Jesus, made present by the consolation of the Holy Spirit, increased its numbers. It walked in the fear of the Lord, just as Jesus had lived His whole life. Truly this was the fruit of which Jesus spoke in the Gospel: By this is My Father glorified.
Possible response: Lord Jesus, when I see the change in Saul because of You, I know theres hope for the changes I need in my life, too.
Psalm (Read Ps 22:26-28, 30-32)
This is the psalm Jesus had in mind while He was dying on the Cross. How do we k now? Read its first line (not included in todays reading): My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? This was Jesus cry of agony when He shouldered the sin of all human history to make atonement for us. Why was He thinking of this particular psalm?
The answer is in our responsorial: I will praise You, Lord, in the assembly of Your people. The psalm, although it begins in desolation and includes a graphic foretelling of the gruesome details of the Crucifixion, ends in great hope. The Sufferer foresees life beyond the dreadful experience he is undergoing. He sees a time of rejoicing among Gods people, a time when all the families of the nations shall bow down before Him. Here, then, is a foreshadowing of the Church that will arise in Jesus as a result of His victory over sin and death in the Resurrection. The Sufferer promises to fulfill My vows before those who fear the Lorda reference to Jesus frequent teaching that He would suffer, die, and rise again on the third day. When that happens, the lowly [or humble] shall eat their filla veiled reference, perhaps, to the Eucharistic banquet Jesus promised to those who believe in Him.
Jesus pondered this psalm as He died because it embraced both His suffering and His glory. He wanted to press on to the realization of what the psalm envisions. He could perhaps see in it the proclamation of His Gospel by the apostles, by Saul (St. Paul), and by His disciples in our own day: 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. If this is what Jesus saw in the psalm, He died in peace.
Possible response: The psalm is, itself, a response to our other readings. Read it again prayerfully to make it your own.
Second Reading (Read 1 Jn 3:18-24)
This is actually a difficult passage to interpret definitively. Space does not permit us to go beyond seeing how St. John takes up in his epistle the teaching from Jesus he and the other apostles received at the Last Supper: those who desire to remain in Jesus, the True Vine, must believe in the Name of Gods Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another. The emphasis here is on keeping Jesus commandments in order to remain in Him. This we do not in our own strength; our obedience comes from the Spirit He gave us. We are not Christians in word or speech but in deed and truth. Our union with Jesus (i.e., our sacramental life) is what gives us confidence in God, even if our emotions (our hearts) make us feel uncertain before Him, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. St. John repeats Jesus promise: we receive from [God] whatever we ask when we fulfill the work Jesus gave us to do ( we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him). This makes us the fruitful vineyard, whose harvest glorifies God and blesses the whole of creation.
St. John assures usit is just as Jesus said it would be.
Possible response: Heavenly Father, I know that when I ask You to help me do the work of love for others, I will receive what I need. Help me aim for love always.
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.One Bread, One Body
<< Sunday, May 6, 2012 >>
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Saint of the Day
Acts 9:26-31
1 John 3:18-24
View ReadingsPsalm 22:26-28, 30-32
John 15:1-8
THE PEACE OF THE RESURRECTION
There is a quote attributed to St. Joan of Arc regarding her salvation. When asked if she was saved, she replied....
“If I am, I pray God keep me there. If I am not, I pray God take me there.”
Can’t remember where I heard this and I am not even sure if it is accurately quoted and attributed, but I love the theology behind it.
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