Fifth Sunday of Easter, Yr B. April 28, 2024
Readings
1st: Acts 9:26-31
2nd: I John 3:18-24
Gospel: John 15:1-8
Theme: Love In Deeds And In Truth - Part I
My dear people of God, today is Fifth Sunday of Easter. Our reflections would focus on the theme. St. John, the author of both our First and Third readings of today has a common theme that runs through all his writings/preachings - A constant call to believe in the name of Jesus Christ (Christian theology) and to love the neighbor just as He, Jesus, has loved us and commanded us to do same (Christian ethics). It is important to note that it is one thing to believe in a person and quite another thing to believe in that person's name. The name by which someone is known and called/addressed is different from the whole nature and character of that person. For example, the Psalmist writes, "Our help is in the name of the Lord" (Psalm 124:8). Clearly that does not mean our help lies in the fact God is called Yahweh/Jehovah. What it actually means is that our help is in the nature and character of God - his love, mercy and power, as revealed to us. In a similar vain, to believe in the name of Jesus (for John, and us too) means to believe that He is the Only Begotten Son of God who can perfectly reveal God to us and is the ONLY Savior of our souls. In the mind of John, the Christian truth is embedded and enshrined in a dual command - believe in the name of Jesus Christ (theology) and love of neighbor (ethics). Therefore, the Christian truth is incomplete and our identify is fake if we have one without the other. There can be no such thing as belief in the name of Jesus without love of neighbor. We cannot begin true Christian life until we believe and accept Jesus Christ for what He is, and we have not accepted Jesus in the real sense of the word until our whole attitude towards the neighbor is the same as His own attitude (of unconditional and indiscriminate love and mercy)
Our First Reading of today introduces us to Barnabas, an epitome of all practising Christians. Barnabas' Christian life had matured so sufficiently that he believed the best of others and never held people's past against them. In the face of public scepticism, scorn and rejection, Barnabas received Paul with mutual love and trust beyond telling. In the mind of Barnabas every saint has a dark past and every sinner has a bright future. We are told, time and again on this platform, that to relate with people based on their past or what others say of them is not only a sign of Christian immaturity but also a clear symptom of psychological disorderliness. After his conversion, Paul had grown silently, slowly and unnoticed, as it was with Barnabas and should be with us. This is what happens of a branch of a true Vine. Its growth is silent, slow, unnoticed but certain, with time. Paul's attachment and total dependence on the Vine was sincere and real. So he was able to use the same fiery nature he had had in the past, but this time round, to preach the Gospel boldly and give credible and fearless witness to the Risen Lord. Paul knew, more than anyone, that cut off from the Vine, no branch can ever bear fruits. Such a branch is only good to be gathered, thrown into fire and 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". This is an instsnt guide against our possible becoming labels without content, empty drums, full of noise but no content. This is also a call to prayer because a branch must depend totally on the "nutrients and nourishment" of the Vine for growth and proper fruition. Sadly, many a Christian at our time seem to trust so much in what they think they know and what they think they can do (on their own), to the extent that prayer can only be given a second place on their daily routines, if at all. However, "If the Lord does not build the house, in vain will the laborers toil" (Psalm 127:1). It is dangerous to get too busy with the work of the Lord and forget of the Lord of the work.
Grafted to the Vine by faith, confirmed by our participation in the Sacraments, we are expected, and rightly so, to bear fruits of the Spirit...of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc. Coincidentally, the author of our Second Reading of today, (John the beloved) in all his writings/preachings, places so much emphasises on these fruits of the Spirit, all of which, different in words but same in content and purpose, should influence our relationship with the neighbour. "A good tree cannot produce bad fruits (Matthew 7:18). What this means is that our "fruits" (deeds/behavior) cannot, and should not negate the nature of the "Tree" (Christ) of which we are "branches". Providentially, the call to bear these "medicinal fruits" of the Spirit, the Queen of which is Love, is within the reach of every honest and well meaning Christian. We are never nearer God than when we love genuinely, sincerely and unconditionally because true Love has its origin in God. "And His commandment is this: we should believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he has commanded us." According to Clement of Alexandria, a real Christian practises being God because man is made in the image and likeness of God. God is Love, therefore, to be like God man must also love. The key word in Clement's assertion is "practising" because fine words will never take the place of fine deeds and no amount of Christian talk will take the place of a kind act/deed to a man genuinely in need. A legend (story) has it that at a very old age the Christian community of John (the beloved) used to carry him outside under a tree to listen to him preach to them. For a long time the poor old man preached the same sermon, "My little children, love one another". The congregation got bored with what was considered as "monotonous" and asked whether that was the only sermon he had. In reply the old man feebly said, "If there is true love among you, you would not need anything again". We pray for grace to truly Love In Deeds And In Truth. Continue to recite the Holy Rosary daily. God richly bless you and your family.
Rev. Fr. Thomas L. Debuo - Catholic Diocese of Damongo, Ghana. (0244511306/0243711926)