The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us of the qualities that are essential for our continued connection to the Author of Life.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes Saul in Jerusalem.
* [9:26] This visit of Paul to Jerusalem is mentioned by Paul in Gal 1:18.
* [9:29] Hellenists: see note on Acts 6:1–7 (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 22 is a plea for deliverance from suffering and hostility.
* [Psalm 22] A lament unusual in structure and in intensity of feeling. The psalmist’s present distress is contrasted with God’s past mercy in Ps 22:2–12. In Ps 22:13–22 enemies surround the psalmist. The last third is an invitation to praise God (Ps 22:23–27), becoming a universal chorus of praise (Ps 22:28–31). The Psalm is important in the New Testament. Its opening words occur on the lips of the crucified Jesus (Mk 15:34; Mt 27:46), and several other verses are quoted, or at least alluded to, in the accounts of Jesus’ passion (Mt 27:35, 43; Jn 19:24). (Psalms, PSALM 22 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the First Letter of John exhorts us to confidence before God and to love in truth and action.
* [3:19–24] Living a life of faith in Jesus and of Christian love assures us of abiding in God no matter what our feelings may at times tell us. Our obedience gives us confidence in prayer and trust in God’s judgment. This obedience includes our belief in Christ and love for one another.
* [3:19b–20] This difficult passage may also be translated “we shall be at peace before him in whatever our hearts condemn, for…” or “and before God we shall convince our hearts, if our hearts condemn us, that God is greater than our hearts.” (1 John, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of John declares Jesus as the True Vine.
* [15:1–17] Like Jn 10:1–5, this passage resembles a parable. Israel is spoken of as a vineyard at Is 5:1–7; Mt 21:33–46 and as a vine at Ps 80:9–17; Jer 2:21; Ez 15:2; 17:5–10; 19:10; Hos 10:1. The identification of the vine as the Son of Man in Ps 80:15 and Wisdom’s description of herself as a vine in Sir 24:17 are further background for portrayal of Jesus by this figure. There may be secondary eucharistic symbolism here; cf. Mk 14:25, “the fruit of the vine.”
* [15:2] Takes away,prunes: in Greek there is a play on two related verbs.
* [15:6] Branches were cut off and dried on the wall of the vineyard for later use as fuel. (John, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)
Sherri Brown comments that some of us have made some major changes along the way. Such changes may be denominational, ethical, theological, or practical, but they may have major impacts on our lives. It is not possible to quantify the difficulty of taking stands against the family lore or staid family positions on theological or political issues. Indeed, relationships have been torn asunder for such and much less.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus ultimately proclaims to his disciples, “I am the true vine, my Father is the vine grower…you are the branches” (John 15:1–8). One doesn’t have to love wine to appreciate this metaphor that, let’s be clear, also includes pruning unproductive branches. We are called to be our best selves, but we are not called to make this effort alone. Jesus needed his disciples for the good news to be what it is. Paul needed Barnabas to become the timeless apostle to the Gentiles. We need each other to be our best selves. Never hesitate to seek out mentors and companions along the Way. The Bible tells you so. (Brown, 2017)
Don Schwager quotes “Cleansed by Jesus' word,” by Basil the Great, 329-379 A.D.
"So the world - life enslaved by carnal passions - can no more receive the grace of the Spirit than a weak eye can look at the light of a sunbeam. First the Lord cleansed his disciples' lives through his teaching, and then he gave them the ability to both see and contemplate the Spirit. He says, 'You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you' (John 15:3). Therefore 'the world cannot receive him, because it neither sees him nor knows him... You know him, for he dwells with you' (John 14:17). Isaiah says, 'He who settled the earth and the things in it; and gives breath to the people on it, and Spirit to them that tread on it' (Isaiah 42:5). From this we can learn that those who trample earthly things and rise above them become worthy to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (excerpt from ON THE HOLY SPIRIT 22.53) (Schwager, 2017)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 15:1-8 comments that even as we strive to align ourselves with God’s will, we should still keep bringing our needs or desires to Jesus. We should always come to him with the confidence of children who trust in their loving father. After all, we have a good God who wants to give us good things. But in the end, prayer is not an exercise in trying to get him to bend to our will. It’s a process of freely embracing his will.
Jesus is promising us that we can ask and receive as we align ourselves with him and hold onto his words. He himself will dwell within us and lead us to our heavenly Father. And that’s not an empty promise!
“Jesus, help me to abide in you!” (Meditation on John 15:1-8, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler explains the trepidation of the apostles in Jerusalem about the visit of Saul. Barnabas introduces Saul but opposition from the Hellenists force Saul to return to Tarsus. Luke expresses the growth of the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit from Jews in Jerusalem, then heretical Jews in Samaria, and finally to Gentiles in the whole world. The proclamation of the Love of the Son of God in 1 John is connected to the battle against the heresy of Docetism that did not accept Jesus as the Son of God. The image of the vine and the branches in Jesus' Last Supper discourse resonates with our need to choose life by unity with Christ or bear the consequences of separation from Him.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, finds a model of simplicity in Jesus’ single-mindedness and purity of heart. Like Jesus, my spiritual father Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) was connected to the Source. He truly experienced radical participation in God’s very life. Such practical knowing of his value and true identity allowed Francis to let go of status, privilege, and wealth. Francis knew he was part of God’s plan, connected to creation and other beings, inherently in communion and in love. Francis taught his followers to own nothing so they would not be owned by their possessions. Francis said:
My brothers! My brothers! God has called me by the way of [humility] and showed me the way of simplicity…. And the Lord told me what He wanted: He wanted me to be a new fool in the world. God did not wish to lead us by any way other than this knowledge. [4]
If we don’t live from within our own center of connection and communion with God, we’ll go spinning around other things. The goal of all religion is to lead us back to the place where everything is one, to the experience of radical unity with all of humanity and all of creation, and hence to the experience of unity with God, the Great Includer of all. [5] (Rohr, 2017)
We ponder the Way that connects us to the fullness of life and we invoke the Spirit to guide us to attend to the Will of God for our journey.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/9?26
Brown, S. (2017, November 9). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/042824.html
John, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/15?1
Meditation on John 15:1-8. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/04/28/944374/
1 John, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/3?18
Psalms, PSALM 22 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/22?26
Rohr, R. (2017, November 9). Purity of Heart. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/purity-of-heart-single-mindedness/
Schwager, D. (2017, November 9). Abide in Me, and I in You. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=apr28
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