Homily: Fifth Sunday of Easter Year B

 

Reading 1: Why was the Church in Jerusalem afraid that Saul was back in the city? This was the Saul that had concurred with the martyrdom of Stephen; that had arrested a number of believers; that had gone up to Damascus to bring any followers of the Way back to Jerusalem. All that was several years ago. Now, they hear he is back in Jerusalem, claiming to be a disciple of Jesus. Is this a hoax, a trap?

 

Barnabas, a trusted disciple, a man full of the Holy Spirit heard Saul’s story of conversion and his preaching positively of Jesus as the Messiah.  With Barnabas’ assurance Saul was accepted by the community. With the same zeal that Saul persecuted the followers of Christ, now more zealously he goes about speaking boldly in the name of Jesus.

 

Being a Greek and a Jew, he sought to reach out to the Greek converts to Judaism, the Hellenists. Many of these resented Saul’s attempt to convert them to this new Way of life. They sought his life. When this became known to the Christian community, they got him out of the city. He returned to Tarsus in Turkey, his hometown.

 

This was all according to the plan of God for Paull, whom God intended to set aside to preach the Gospel message to the Gentiles. Meanwhile, the number of Jewish believers grew. For the time the Christians experienced the consolation of the Holy Spirit.

 

What can we learn from this passage? Nothing is impossible for God. Secondly, sometimes converts are more zealous in their faith than cradle Catholics. Thirdly, each of us is called like Paul to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, to come to a deeper conversion and to become proponents of the truth of the Gospel in spite of persecution. We are facing subtle persecution today. We need to be bold in professing our faith.

 

Gospel: Last Sunday we heard about Jesus as the Good Shepherd. He shows his love by laying down his life for his sheep. Today, we hear his message concerning the intimacy of his love, for authentic love brings true and lasting intimacy between the lovers.

 

This passage is taken from the Last Supper experience. Jesus tells his disciples of his love first by washing their feet, then by telling them greater love has no one than to lay down his life for his friends. Then he showed the depth of his love by embracing the cross in our stead, giving his life that we may have life eternally.

 

Jesus uses the image of the vine and the branches to express this mutual love: his love for us and our love for him.  There is an intimacy between the vine and the branch, experienced because the life of the vine flows into the branch.  There is an intimacy between us and God, which began in baptism. God out of infinite love recreates and redeems us. He likewise adopted us as his sons and daughters, sharing his own divine life with us, through no merit of our own. As long as we remain in him and he in us, we continue to share in this new life, which is further sustained in the Sacraments, especially Eucharist.

 

Have we ever taken this gift of shared life with God for granted?  Do we reflect with gratitude on this gift of his life and love? We are not conscious of breathing; it is a presumed part of our being. But when breathing becomes difficult, when we struggle for air, we become aware of its importance. Do we have to be separated from God through sin to appreciate his living presence within us? Be attentive and grateful for this gift of God’s life and love in the moments after Communion. I live now, not I but Christ’s life in me is a reality that needs a response.

 

Reading 2: John tells us that the proof of our relationship with God is not the words we speak but the actions we do. To believe in the name of Jesus as our Lord and Savior is a revealed truth. To profess that truth is good. But do our actions and way of life back up our words?

 

Jesus commanded us to love one another as he has loved us. He loved us by laying down his life for us in a gift of service. Do we love others the same way—laying down our lives for them, not thinking of any return to ourselves. This way of life will enable us to remain in Christ and he in us in the bond of the Holy Spirit. Love is an action word more than a lip-service word. Anyone can say I love you, but if it is not expressed in some tangible sign of service and care, it is nothing. It is only hot air. But when we love as Jesus has loved us, then we know that Jesus has made a difference in our lives. Then the intimate life we share with Jesus will bear fruit that will last eternally.

" I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father." Just as there is an intimacy between the Father and Son, so there is an intimacy between us and Jesus. This intimacy is indicated by hearing and recognizing the voice of the Shepherd. Only the sheep that belong to the Good Shepherd follow his voice. When we are in union with Jesus, we will not listen to the voice of "the stranger," the devil. The devil comes to snatch us away from the Good Shepherd and destroy us through the bondage of sin. The voice of the Good Shepherd, whom we follow, protects, loves and gives us eternal life. As long as we remain in union with Jesus we will be safe, and our salvation is assured. He is the Good Shepherd; we are the sheep of his flock.

 FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER B

Jesus said: "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 everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. 

· The OT frequently uses the imagery of the vine for the Chosen People in their relationship with Yahweh, who is the vine grower. Here Jesus identifies himself as the true vine in contrast to Israel who did not open its heart to the Messiah. Those committed to Jesus as part of the vine.

· In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the "I am" metaphor on a number of occasions: "I am the bread of life" (6:35); "I am the living bread that came down from heaven" (6:51); "I am the light of the world" (8:12); "I am the gate for the sheep" (10:7); "I am the good shepherd" (10:11); "I am the resurrection and the life" (11:25); "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (14:6).

· The Father does two things: removes dead branches; prunes fruitful branches so as to bear more fruit. The analogy is that those who are dead in sin are cut off and those who are in union but not bearing full fruit are pruned.

· What is God doing in your life? What purification is God calling forth so that you can live in his life more fruitfully?

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.”

· Jesus uses the metaphor of the vine; Paul in 1 Cor will use the metaphor of the Body to reflect the same mystery of union with Jesus.

· Using this passage spend some time in prayer reflecting on your relationship with Jesus. What is the fruit of your relationship with Jesus?

 "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."  The characteristic that underlines the goodness of Christ as Shepherd is his willingness to lay down his life for our salvation as well as his decision to so to embrace the will of the Father out of love. For the shepherd, each sheep is important. If one goes astray, he endures whatever it takes to find and bring this stray sheep back to the flock. Jesus makes it clear that he is not forced to lay down his life for us. He freely chooses to do so. As he says, "I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father." It is hard for us to grasp and fully appreciate the love of Jesus for each one of us. But he made it clear when he said: "No greater love has one than to lay down his life for his friend." He sees us a friends not enemies, even though we had willfully separated ourselves from him, like the stray sheep. Where and what would we be if Jesus had not laid down his life on the cross for us?

 "I am the good shepherd." As we continue during the Easter season to reflect of the I am statements of Jesus, we now look at "I am the good shepherd." Jesus is separating himself from the bad shepherds of Israel, the prophets, kings and priests who cared for themselves and not for the people, under their care. In Ezekiel, God said that he would shepherd his people, protecting and providing food and drink for them. He also said that he would raise up a good shepherd. Jesus identifies himself with God, as the shepherd, and as the one promised by God. As the good shepherd, Jesus has provided us the Eucharist as our food; he has delivered us and protected us from the onslaught of the devil; he has healed the lame; he has called us to follow him. He is the good shepherd. What kind of sheep have we been?

 "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life." We receive the light and life of Jesus so that we may live in the truth and share in his life. But Jesus also said: "You are the light of the world." We share in his light so that, in turn, we may be a light to others, who are seeking the truth. When we witness our faith to others, our light touches their darkness. That witness may be verbal, sharing the truth of the scriptures, or it may be through signs of love and service to those who are in need. Our light is not to blind them but to open their hearts to the love and life of Jesus. It is his light in and through us that makes the difference. We are conduits of the light. Let your light shine in the darkness of the world of indifference and sin, so that God's life and love may transform it. Are we a light to others?

 "I am the Light of the world."  As a created being we have the gift of reason, enabling us to receive data and to come to a conclusion. As a new creation, we have been given by Jesus, who is Light, the gift of faith, enabling us to embrace the mysteries of revelation. By reason I can come to know that there is a God. But only by faith can I accept that the One God is Triune in Person. By reason, when Thomas saw the risen Christ in his glorified Body, Thomas knew it was Jesus. But faith enable him to proclaim; "My Lord and my God." By reason we acknowledge the presence of bread and wine at Mass. But, after the consecration, we believe that we are gazing and receiving the Real Body and Blood of Jesus. Reason and Faith are not in opposition. Faith adds to what reason cannot know on its own. We say that Baptism is an enlightenment because we receive the gift of faith in our role as a new creation. What would our life be without light of faith?