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5 Easter
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Fifth Sunday of Easter - Cycle B - John 15:1-8
Michelangelo enters his studio. He examined
the canvases of his pupils. A few he complimented. He advised some to
keep their day jobs. Finally he came to his star disciple. The man was
working on a small canvas. Michelangelo took up a brush. Across the
picture, he wrote the Latin word "amplius." It means "larger."
The maestro felt his pupil was playing it safe. He was not working up
to capacity. He wanted him to start all over again. The artist
did and he painted an exquisite canvas.
Psychiatrists argue we leave this world with large
portions of our brains woefully undeveloped. But there is no argument
that this is entirely true of our spirits. Spiritually we are capable
of being more interesting Christians than we are. What we lack is
boldness. Had we chutzpa, we could become spiritual
masterpieces. Jesus must often be tempted
to write the word "amplius" over the lives of so many. We are
good as far as we have gone. But we have not gone far enough. Our
spiritual canvases are too small. We are capable of so much more in the
spiritual life. The lives of our spirits need constant repainting. The
Teacher would tell us the larger canvases and brushes that we need are
sitting on the benches before us. They are ours for the taking. "The
greatest tragedy," wrote Leon Bloy, "is that each of us is not a
saint." Is there anyone who thinks Christ would disagree with that
judgment? Saints, we are told, make Jesus real. The same Christ
who in today's Gospel says, "...every branch that does bear fruit He
prunes to make it bear even more." Our limited vision, says Christ,
needs constant updating.
But He does not tell us to grow fruit. In five
verses, He tells us eight times to abide in Him. That's the secret.
A saint said, 'Aim for the stars and you at
least reach the mountain. But aim only for the mountain and you never
get out of the mud." The goals of many of us are too limited. We remain
spiritual pygmies. Jesus tells us, "Launch out into the deep."
Too often we attempt to go it alone in the
spiritual life. This is not brightness personified. Take the geese for
openers. Check them in flight. You will notice they fly in splendid
formation. Centuries ago they learned the hard way that they could fly
more easily and at greater distances as a group. We would do much
better at our faith if we acted in concert with other believers. Think
of the use of spiritual directors, reading of the spiritual masters,
retreats, days of recollection, etc.
A second trick that the clever geese have to
teach us is
about leadership. When the leader of the famous "V" formation
gets tired from fighting the strong headwinds, he or she drops back for
a breather. Immediately, another goose comes forward to lead the pack.
How much more effective our parish and we as Catholics would be if
everyone carried his or her share of the burdens. As the geese would be
the first to tell us, the age-old cry "Let George do it!" is not good
enough. There are some of you reading these lines who have great
contributions in leadership to offer the Nazarene. You must come
forward and take risks. Christ needs you and wants you. Hey, so do we.
But the geese have more to teach us. They
encourage and
support each other. When they fly in their formations, they honk away.
This is especially true if they fly through storms. The honking keeps
the group in tight formation and serves as a beacon for strays. Would
that we might learn to support and encourage one another - but
especially our strays. Mark Twain reminds us encouragement is oxygen
for the soul. He said he could live for a month on one good compliment.
We all believe in booster shots to protect us
against physical diseases. Why then do we not indulge in booster words?
They are the compliments that will pick up the spirits of others.
We need one another's help. The Christian life, said
one master, isn't hard to live. It's impossible. Only one person has
pulled it off - Jesus. But He has sent the Holy Spirit to help us. The
master reminds us the Holy Spirit can make a great finish out of a slow
start. He can make us run well even in mud.
Some misguided strays say, "I'd be a hypocrite if I
started going to church again." To them Fulton Sheen said, "Come back.
There's always room for one more."
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5 Easter
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Fifth Easter: Grafted onto Christ
Today’s Gospel applies the analogy of grafting to our spiritual
lives. Grafting is a type of vegetative procreation. A
scion, or branch that is to receive nourishment, is attached to a
rootstock which provides the nourishment. The whole purpose of
the grafting is to provide fruit. Most, not all, but most
grafting is done in orchards where dwarf or semi dwarf trees are
planted very close to each other. Grafting allows more fruit to
be raised per unit of land, and a higher quality fruit.
Jesus is not concerned with apples, pears or oranges. But he is
concerned with good fruit. He wants His disciples to produce
fruit for the Kingdom of God.
So
often our view of religion is as an individual relationship with God
that exists as though it is in a vacuum. Yes, we acknowledge a
connection with others and the formation of a community, but so often
we see the community merely as a support for our individual
relationship with God. There is something crucial missing
here. Where is the fruit?
The
Lord wants us to build up the community by producing more and more
Christians. How can we increase the Christian population of the
world, and ultimately, of heaven? We can do that by remaining
united to the life of Christ we received at our baptism, in which we
were confirmed and by which we are nourished every time we receive the
Eucharist.
You
might remember back in your science classes that different types of
plants can be grafted onto each other. So one type of apple, say
a branch from a Red Delicious apple tree can be grafted onto a Granny
Smith apple tree. But according to what I read when I researched this,
most often the rootstock, the tree that’s in the ground, will domineer
the scion, the branch from the other tree. Eventually, sometimes
over years, the fruit of the scion will change into the fruit of the
rootstock.
Jesus knew this when He said that if we are united to a vine which is
not from the Lord, we will wither and be thrown out. If alcohol,
drugs, sex or other forms of materialism are the focus our lives, than
we will produce the result of our allowing ourselves to be grafted onto
death. We will be self centered and selfish. Grafted onto
death we will be dead, in spirit and, often, in reality.
We
cannot fall into this pessimism. We Christians are the ultimate
optimists. We have a great reason to live. And we live
joyfully. Our reason for life, our joy, is Jesus
Christ. Our goal in life is to produce fruit, His fruit, fruit
for the Kingdom.
The Lord places upon us the responsibility for the growth of the
kingdom of God. He uses us to call other people to himself.
At the end of our lives we have to stand before the Lord showing him
what our lives produced. He is not going to be interested in our
bank accounts, our homes, our athletic, intellectual, or artistic
accomplishments. He is going to count souls. He's
going to look to see if we did all we could to bring others to
Him. He is going to consider how well we loved. Were our
hearts so full of His sacrificial love that our children, whether they
be our physical children or the children of others, learned about the
Love of the Lord from us? Did other children of God, perhaps
adults, see His Presence in us? Jesus is going to look at people
we don't even know who have been strengthened in their faith by seeing
our faith. What does the Lord want? He wants us to bear
fruit.
How
can we do this? How can we be a source of God's presence for
others? The gospel says, "I am the vine and you are the
branches. He who lives in me and I in him will produce fruit
abundantly." We are not just members of organized religion.
Our relationship with God is even deeper than mere confessing that
Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Jesus is not out there. He is
in here. He lives in us. We live in Him. The good
that we do, the virtue that we practice, flows from the life blood of
Jesus Christ that is in our veins.
If
we want to do our best for Him we need to stay united to the vine,
united to Christ. We need to have His Life flowing through
us. We received this life at baptism, but if we cut ourselves off
from this life by ignoring the vine, by slacking off from our worship
of God, then we will have no fruit to bring before God's throne.
It is not enough to say we are people of faith, to say we are
Catholic. We have to practice our faith. We have to stay
united to the vine.
It
is not easy business being a Christian, being a Catholic. It
means dedication, sacrifice, determination to live as Christ called
us. It demands having something to show for our lives. But
we can do this, and we will do this, as long as we are united to the
Lord, to the vine whose life flows through us.
We
pray today that we might all have the spiritual courage to remain
grafted onto Christ.
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* available in Spanish - see
Spanish homilies
5 Easter
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Because
We Keep His Commandments
(May 10, 2009)
Bottom line: By dishonoring motherhood and fatherhood, we have dug
ourselves into a pit. But, with God's help, we can get out. It is not
too late to return to sanity, to keep the commandments.
First of all, Happy Mother's Day! I am offering Mass for all of our
moms - those, like my mom who have gone before the Lord and for moms
who are alive, who continue in this earthly battle. And of course I
want to pray especially for the moms in our congregation today.
Mother's Day is a good moment to address a difficult issue: the decline
in reverence for motherhood - and fatherhood. In the last half century,
the ideal of maternity and paternity has diminished - and we are
suffering the consequences. Toward the end of the homily I will tie
this in with the Scriptures. God's Word gives us hope, but first we
have to understand what we are up against.
In the bulletin I put a graph that illustrates the decline in reverence
for motherhood and fatherhood. It is the United Nations chart on
"Population by Age in Advanced Countries."* Try to follow me here. The
graph has two lines: one for children younger than 4 and and the other
for seniors older than 65. In 1950 there were more children under four
than seniors: Ten small children for every seven seniors. That's a good
proportion. Nothing against old people (I am almost a senior myself)
but a healthy, dynamic society should have more children than elderly.
That was the case in 1950. Well, fifteen years later the lines crossed
- and the elderly started outnumbering children. Today the proportion
is disturbing: sixteen seniors for every five small children. Within a
few decades the proportion will be thirty-one to three. In other words,
ten times as many people over sixty-five as children under four.
What do all these numbers mean? It boils down to this: we are not
having enough children. Since most of us were brought up with vague
fears about overpopulation, this might come as a surprise. But it is
the truth: we need more children. Our current economic problems - and
many other problems as well - are rooted in the absence of children.
All of us know about the economic meltdown that came upon us last year.
In explaining why this happened, many economists have pointed to
demographics: our relative lack of children and young people. Perhaps
you remember that when President Obama presented the stimulus package,
he said that the government needed to spend a trillion dollars
($1,000,000,000,000) to create an "aggregate demand" for goods and
services – and thus create new jobs. But, if we had with us the forty
million children killed by abortion, our government would not have to
step in to create an aggregate demand. Those children would have done
the job nicely.
For those who want to know more about the lack of children and economic
decline, I am making available an article by Dr. David P. Goldman
titled "Demographics and Depression." Goldman explains why the bottom
fell out of the housing market: In recent decades the number of housing
units with three or more bedrooms has doubled. Meanwhile, the number of
two-parent families with children stayed the same. At some point the
housing market had to crash. We don't have enough families for all the
homes we built.** Other areas have also begun to suffer: banks, the
auto industry and the looming social security and medicare bust.
Families are good for the economy - especially two-parent families with
several children. Now, I am not saying that the main reason we should
promote families is so we can have a strong economy.*** No, the family
is the basic good and the economy exists to support the family. Still,
God has ordered things so that if we honor parenthood, other goods will
come our way naturally. But when we dishonor parenthood - and stop
having children - bad consequences follow.
I take part of the blame. Not for being a celibate (smile). Priestly
celibacy is about spiritual fatherhood, which is much needed. What I do
take some blame for is being part of a generation that devalued
motherhood and fatherhood. In 1950 I was four-years-old - first wave of
the Baby Boomers. We benefited from a family-friendly society - and
yet, on a whole, we did not value family. We cherished other things
more than children. We did not honor paternity and maternity. Instead
we embraced contraception and abortion - and now we are suffering the
consequences.
Disobeying God brings negative results; obeying him brings blessings.
St. John states it very simply: "Because we keep his commandments," he
says, we "receive from him whatever we ask." If we keep God's
commandments, things fall into its proper place - including the
economy. And one of the commandments says, "Honor your father and
mother." For children that means obeying their parents. When we are
adults we continue to honor our parents and care for them when they
grow weak. And when they die, we honor our parents by praying for them.
And part of the command is that we honor motherhood and fatherhood. We
have not done that - and we are now beginning to feel the effects. But
it is not too late. Besides honoring our own parents, we can help and
respect those who have opened their hearts to children - especially
those who go against the current by having large families. We can work
toward eliminating the contraception and abortion mentality in our
society. Those are big challenges, I know. But with God's help we can
turn our society around.
St. John makes it clear that we are not talking about a guilt trip.
"God is greater than our hearts," he says. God doesn't want us to get
bogged down in useless guilt. He wants us to do something positive.
Today, on Mother's Day, he wants us to honor our mothers - and fathers.
That might involve forgiveness, but also gratitude. That gratitude and
love extends to all those who have embraced the task of parenthood.****
As Dr. Goldman says, "children are our wealth." For most people, their
child is their greatest treasure, but even from an economic point of
view - children are our wealth.
Let me sum up: Our society today is suffering consequences - including
economic consequences - because we have strayed from the commandments.
By dishonoring motherhood and fatherhood, we have dug ourselves into a
pit. But, with God's help, we can get out. It is not too late to return
to sanity, to keep the commandments. On Mother's Day, we recognize one
of the most important commandments: Honor your father and your mother.
************
*Here is the graph:
*As David Goldman states:
**America’s population has risen from 200 million to 300 million since
1970, while the total number of two-parent families with children is
the same today as it was when Richard Nixon took office, at 25 million.
In 1973, the United States had 36 million housing units with three or
more bedrooms, not many more than the number of two-parent families
with children—which means that the supply of family homes was roughly
in line with the number of families. By 2005, the number of housing
units with three or more bedrooms had doubled to 72 million, though
America had the same number of two-parent families with children.
The number of two-parent families with children, the kind of household
that requires and can afford a large home, has remained essentially
stagnant since 1963, according to the Census Bureau. Between 1963 and
2005, to be sure, the total number of what the Census Bureau
categorizes as families grew from 47 million to 77 million. But most of
the increase is due to families without children, including what are
sometimes rather strangely called “one-person families.”
***Again from Goldman's article:
Life is sacred for its own sake. It is not an instrument to provide us
with fatter IRAs or better real-estate values. But it is fair to point
out that wealth depends ultimately on the natural order of human life.
Failing to rear a new generation in sufficient numbers to replace the
present one violates that order, and it has consequences for wealth,
among many other things. Americans who rejected the mild yoke of family
responsibility in pursuit of atavistic enjoyment will find at last that
this is not to be theirs, either.
****This would tie in well with the Gospel. In it Jesus tells us that
he is the vine and we are the branches. To me one of the most beautiful
images of that intimate relationship is a mother with an unborn child
in her womb. Of course, our relationship with Jesus is even more
intimate than that. He made us, he sustains us, he pardons us and heals
us. As we will see next week, our relationship with Jesus is not just
spiritual,but material. And he wants us to bear fruit. The greatest
fruits are children that we form for eternal life.
Intercessions for Fifth Sunday of Easter (from Priests for Life)
Spanish Version
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5 Easter
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http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/homilies/index.lasso
5 Easter
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May,
10, 2009
John 15:1-8
Campion P. Gavaler, O.S.B.
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Gospel Summary
In this passage from the Last Supper Discourse (13:31-17:26), Jesus
reveals to his disciples and to us that he is the true vine planted and
cared for by his Father. We are the branches, depending on Jesus for
life just as branches depend on the vine. "Whoever remains in me and I
in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing."
Separated from Jesus we cannot bear fruit: like a useless branch we are
cut off and soon wither.
To be certain that we have some sense of how radical the gift of
sharing his life is, Jesus adds two astonishing statements. If we ask
for anything, our Father will give it to us because of the communion of
life. It is as though his own beloved Jesus were asking. "Father, I
thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me," Jesus prayed
before restoring his friend Lazarus to life (Jn 11:42). Further, if we
bear much fruit from the new Christian life that we have been given,
the Father will be glorified in us as he was through Jesus.
Life Implications
At our Eucharist today we hear the gospel as the Christians of John's
community at the end of the first century heard it, not with the
incomplete knowledge of the disciples before Jesus' death,
resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. We have heard the
complete good news beginning with the response of Jesus to the question
two disciples asked, "Rabbi, where are you dwelling? Jesus said to
them, Come, and you will see" (Jn 1:38-39).
Throughout the Last Supper Discourse, Jesus reveals that he dwells in
the Father and the Father dwells in him. And he reveals further that he
dwells in us and we dwell in him like a vine and its branches. John's
placement of the "vine and branches" saying in the context of the Last
Supper reminds us of what Jesus said after feeding a large crowd with
bread and fish: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in
me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life
because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life
because of me" (Jn 6:56-57).
If we had only the image of the vine and branches, we might draw the
conclusion that our finite human life is totally absorbed by infinite
divine life. Rather, the good news is that the communion of life in
Christ is a communion of love. "As the Father loves me, so I love you.
Remain in my love" (Jn 15:9). Life in Christ is a gift freely given,
and a gift freely accepted. Tragically, because there is freedom, the
life and love of Christ can be rejected.
The fearful possibility of separation from Christ is a consequence of
freedom. It is the possibility of seeking an illusory life that the
world separated from God offers. The archetypal figure of the disciple
Judas, who succumbed to greed in betraying Jesus, is a graphic reminded
of that possibility for all of us. We are meant to live in the peace
and joy of the Easter gospel, however, not in fear and uncertainty.
"Without me you can do nothing," Jesus tells us. But with him we can do
anything. If we remain in his life and love, we can ask anything of the
Father and it will be given. Mindful that Jesus out of love for us, and
that his Father might thereby be glorified, did not ask to be saved
from his hour of suffering (Jn 12:27). We too will always ask to live
in his truth and love. In confident hope that the supreme grace of
remaining in Jesus will always be given, we can keep his commandment to
love each other as he loved us. Thus, the Father's goodness will also
be revealed in us for his honor and glory. "And the way we know that he
[Jesus] remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us" (Reading II, 1 Jn
3:24). In this knowledge of faith and hope is our peace and joy.
Campion P. Gavaler, OSB
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
5 Easter
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Fifth
Sunday
Acts 9, 26-31; Psalm 22; 1 John 3, 18-24; John 15, 1-8
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
"Jesus says, 'I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me,
and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can
do nothing." (Jn 15:5)
"The fruit referred to in this saying is the holiness of a life made
fruitful by union with Christ. When we believe in Jesus Christ, partake
of his mysteries, and keep his commandments, the Savior himself comes
to love, in us, his Father and his brethren, our Father and our
brethren. His person becomes, through the Spirit, the living and
interior rule of our activity. 'This is my commandment, that you love
one another as I have loved you.' (Jn 15:12)" (CCC 2074)
The branches exist to draw life from the vine so as to bear fruit.
Failing to do so they are useless: cut down, thrown out, good only for
fueling the flames of a fire. "If a man does not abide in me, he is
cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered,
thrown into the fire and burned." (Jn 15: 6) So that we may live as
fruitful branches in intimate union with Christ, the true vine, he has
given us the Church, his true body in the world.
"The mission of Christ and the Holy Spirit is brought to completion in
the Church, which is the Body of Christ and the temple of the Holy
Spirit. This joint mission henceforth brings Christ's faithful to share
in his communion with the Father in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit
prepares men and goes out to them with his grace, in order to draw them
to Christ. The Spirit manifests the risen Lord to them, recalls his
word to them and opens their minds to the understanding of his Death
and Resurrection. He makes present the mystery of Christ, supremely in
the Eucharist, in order to reconcile them, to bring them into communion
with God, that they may 'bear much fruit.' (Jn 15: 8,16)" (CCC 737)
The Church is not a way to Christ, as simply one choice among others,
but the way to Christ. "Thus the Church's mission is not an addition to
that of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but is its sacrament: in her whole
being and in all her members, the Church is sent to announce, bear
witness, make present, and spread the mystery of the communion of the
Holy Trinity." (CCC 738)
St. Cyril, patriarch of Alexandria (d. 444), teaches why our communion
with the Triune God happens in the fullest and most perfect way in this
life in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church:
"All of us who have received one and the same Spirit, that is, the Holy
Spirit, are in a sense blended together with one another and with God.
For if Christ, together with the Father's and his own Spirit, comes to
dwell in each of us, though we are many, still the Spirit is one and
undivided. He binds together the spirits of each and every one of
us,...and makes all appear as one in him. For just as the power of
Christ's sacred flesh unites those in whom it dwells into one body, I
think that in the same way the one and undivided Spirit of God, who
dwells in all, leads all into spiritual unity." (CCC 738)
Seek the opportunity for daily participation in the liturgy; draw from
the Eucharistic sacrifice the life-blood of Christ the vine that you
may bear fruit that will last: heart, mind, soul and strength aflame
with God's love unto life eternal!
Let us pray: God our Father, look upon us with love. You redeem us and
make us your children in Christ. Give us true freedom and bring us to
the inheritance you promised. (From opening prayer for today's liturgy.)
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together, we
"meet Christ in the liturgy" -Father Cusick
(Publish with permission.) http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
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5 Easter
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Sermon
by Father Alex McAllister
SDS
Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B
In the Gospel text last week Jesus is quoted as saying: I am the Good
Shepherd. In this week’s Gospel he says: I am the true vine. Last
week’s text was all about the role of Jesus in guiding and protecting
his flock. The words of Jesus were very comforting and reassuring. They
make us feel that we can leave the initiative to him and need merely to
follow where he leads us.
We know that he will care for us, that he won’t lead us into error and
that we can feel safe. It also speaks about the great sacrifice that
Jesus makes—as the Good Shepherd he gives his life for his sheep. The
accent is all on him and his role in salvation. We are the passive
recipients, the objects of all his love and concern.
However, as if to restore the balance, the Church presents us with
quite a different emphasis today and the accent here is on our role.
In the Bible, and especially in the Gospels, we find many analogies of
the Christian life. No single one can give us an adequate picture. Like
any good teacher Jesus uses many examples to get across his point. This
Parable of the Vine is a particularly apt one.
Jesus says: I am the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser... I am
the vine; you are the branches.Now looking at things from this angle it
seems that Jesus has the more passive role and we have to do a lot more
of the work. He is the vine who feeds and nourishes us, the branches.
And our job is to bear much fruit.
This is not quite so comforting or easy going as thinking of ourselves
as sheep who merely follow in their master’s footsteps.
The snag is the worry that if we are found wanting and are unable to
yield fruit then we will be quickly pruned and cast into the fire along
with all the rest of the dead wood.
We are left with questions such as: What kind of fruit ought we to
bear? And what sort of fruit is acceptable to the Lord? And how do we
actually go about ‘bearing fruit’?Of course, we are using the language
of analogy here—we are not talking about a harvest of actual grapes.
When Jesus says ‘I am the vine’ he is clearly meaning a vine of a
heavenly order.
The fruit, is therefore surely also of a heavenly order. We realise
that the harvest is one of souls for heaven. Our task is in fact to
continue the work of Christ in the world. In order to know what to do
we must look at his life and imitate him as best we can. .
He taught the truth, he spoke words of comfort, he healed the sick, he
brought sight to the blind, he rebuked the devil, he spent much time in
prayer and in communion with the Father. And ultimately he laid down
his life for our salvation.
These then are the things we must do. We must think hard and find ways
to translate his actions and his words into our actions and our words.
This is easier than you think. Wherever we are and in whatever
circumstances we find ourselves we only have to ask ourselves the
question: What would Christ do if he was in my position? Then we have a
plan of action.
And there is, of course, an important Eucharistic dimension to these
words of Jesus. Remember that this text is part of that great ‘farewell
discourse’ given in the upper room after Jesus washed the feet of his
disciples during the Last Supper.
It is no mistake that Jesus refers to himself as the vine when it is
wine that is used as one of two great Eucharistic symbols.
Using the comparison of the vine we see that we are in total unity with
Jesus. It is a wonderful analogy of the Church—one organic whole with
Jesus at the centre from whom all the branches draw life and
nourishment.
However, the opposite is also true. When we separate ourselves from
Christ we no longer receive nourishment from him and consequently the
divine life within us can only wither and die.
The Eucharist is all about unity—the whole community gathered round a
common table drawing life from Jesus who makes himself present to us in
Word and Sacrament. Our regular attendance at mass is the sign of our
Christian commitment, the sign of our union with each other in Christ.
Yet this unity is not easy to maintain, it is frequently a struggle.
Look at the trouble Paul has in the text from the Acts of the Apostles.
First the other disciples didn’t want to accept him, then, because of
an argument, the Hellenists wanted to kill him. So, for the sake of
peace, they sent him off on a mission to his home town. It took a long
time before they realised the crucial significance of his contribution.
We in this parish are not always at one with each other. There are many
holes and gaps in our unity. But as St John says: Our love is not to be
just words or mere talk, but something real and active.We are the
branches of the true vine; but this is not something passive. We draw
our life from Christ. That word ‘draw’ is an active word. To draw life
and nourishment from the Lord requires constant attention and effort—it
won’t happen by itself.
Our unity as Christians is not something we can take for granted; it
too requires constant attention and effort. It too doesn’t happen by
itself. And yet this unity is an important and vital aspect of our
mission.
If we want to focus on one thing in the weeks and months ahead to try
and put into practice the lesson of today’s Gospel then we could
reflect on how our words and actions break down or build up the unity
of the Church.
If each one of us, even in a small way, manage to improve in this
regard then we will find that this vine that we are part of will indeed
flourish. This vine, which is our Church, will bear fruit in plenty and
will give glory to our heavenly Father just as Jesus wants.
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Father Bonar will not be posting homilies for Cycle B to allow himself
time for other projects. His collection of homilies (including homilies
for Cycle B) is available at www.clydebonar.com.
5 Easter |
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These
homilies may be copied and adapted for your own use;
however, they may not be commercially published without permission of
the author. |
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