Cycle B - Year II:  

29 April 2018: Fifth Sunday of Easter  

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Acts 9:26-31

Second Reading:  1 John 3:18-24

Gospel:Please Read  John 15:1-8

"I am the vine, you are the branches!"

Can we survive without God?  Well, it is a question we can debate endlessly. But even with our boast that we have conquered the universe, when powerful wrath of nature strikes, man remains helpless in the face of destructive forces much greater and stronger than his humanity. Because when calamity strikes, either man-made or natural, we are all at God's mercy!

The message of this Sunday's liturgy reminds us that we are no superman, even in our own planet.

Our Lord uses the allegory of the vine and the branches to deliver a timely message to us all.

Let us put ourselves in the scene of the Gospel narrative to better appreciate the message. The land of Israel was covered with numerous vineyards during the time of Jesus. Thus, the image of the vine was a rich one for the Jews. So Jesus used this practical reality to catch the attention of His listeners to the message He wanted to convey.

A short lesson on planting vine: to make the vine fruitful, it needs the caring hand of the vinedresser by carefully pruning the vine so it can bear good fruit. Because vines characteristically have two kinds of branches --those which bear fruit and those which do not bear fruit. The secret is to carefully prune back the non-bearing branches in order for the vine to conserve its strength for the branches that bear the good fruit.

Thus, the growers of a vineyard took care of the healthy growth of the vines. When branches did not yield fruit, they were cut off and dried on the wall of the vineyard to be used later as fuel. 

Today's allegory has an intimate tune. Jesus is actually preparing His friends for the mission and reminds them that without Him they can do nothing.

Jesus uses the image of the vine to describe the kind of life He produces in those who are united with Him:

"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." (Jn 15:5)

Thus, the central message of the Gospel is simple and clear: we need Christ as surely as a branch needs to remain on the vine. And we are either fruit bearing or non-fruit bearing. There is no in-between.  In other words, we must be fruitful. From a vine we look for grapes, and so from a Christian we look for a Christ-like behavior. We must do good; this is bearing fruit.

In sum, the Lord promises that we will bear much fruit if we abide in Him and allow Him to purify us. For it is through our Lord Jesus that we are reconciled with the Father. We need God's grace and strength that we may do good and face the trials and suffering in this life.

Do we trust and believe in the Lord's abiding presence with us?

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!