Rooted and pruned for Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the link between our lives and the Love of God.

Growing with the Father

The reading from the Book of Acts provides the background for Luke’s account of the Council of Jerusalem.

* [15:1–5] When some of the converted Pharisees of Jerusalem discover the results of the first missionary journey of Paul, they urge that the Gentiles be taught to follow the Mosaic law. Recognizing the authority of the Jerusalem church, Paul and Barnabas go there to settle the question of whether Gentiles can embrace a form of Christianity that does not include this obligation.1 

In Psalm 122, the singer anticipates joining the procession into the city (Ps 122:1–3). Jerusalem is a place of encounter, where the people praise God (Ps 122:4) and hear the divine justice mediated by the king (Ps 122:5).

* [Psalm 122] A song of Zion, sung by pilgrims obeying the law to visit Jerusalem three times on a journey. The singer anticipates joining the procession into the city (Ps 122:1–3). Jerusalem is a place of encounter, where the people praise God (Ps 122:4) and hear the divine justice mediated by the king (Ps 122:5). The very buildings bespeak God’s power (cf. Ps 48:13–15). May the grace of this place transform the people’s lives (Ps 122:6–9)!2 

In the Gospel from John, the Vine and the Branches describe our connection to Jesus and the Father.

* [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.”3 

To Eileen Wirth the passage from Acts carries an important message for today because it reminds us how often people tell us what God demands for salvation.

 Creighton Jesuit Larry Gillick S.J. once told me that if we aren’t careful, the voice of God can sound a lot like our own egos. Just because we think something is so doesn’t mean that God agrees with us...What does God most likely care about? I come down to Jesus’ two great commandments to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. As to who is my neighbor, Jesus spells it out in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Beatitudes also cannot be beat for guidance on loving others and living the way God desires.4

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)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 15:1-8 comments Jesus reveals in today’s Gospel that it wasn’t enough for God to simply be near us. God wants to dwell in us.

As you ponder this amazing truth, you might be tempted to think “But I’m a sinner. I’m not worthy for the Son of God to dwell in me.” But Jesus didn’t come to abide in you based on your worthiness. He came to abide in you because he loves you. So even if you struggle until the end of your life with the same sin, he won’t abandon you. He is infinitely patient, always ready and waiting for you to come to him for mercy and grace.6 

The post by Franciscan Media on the Optional Memorial for Saint Rita of Cascia contains a reflection on an “If only ….” approach to holiness.

 Although we can easily imagine an ideal world in which to live out our baptismal vocation, such a world does not exist. An “If only ….” approach to holiness never quite gets underway, never produces the fruit that God has a right to expect.
Rita became holy because she made choices that reflected her baptism and her growth as a disciple of Jesus. Her overarching, lifelong choice was to cooperate generously with God’s grace, but many small choices were needed to make that happen. Few of those choices were made in ideal circumstances—not even when Rita became an Augustinian nun.7

Friar Jude Winkler describes the gathering in Jerusalem to decide how Gentiles would be received into the community of the Jewish Messiah. Luke in Acts and Paul in the Letter to the Galatians show two different perspectives on this meeting. Friar Jude comments on working for good and the Love of Jesus.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, cites works of Wm. Paul Young, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Catherine Mowry LaCugna that reinforce his assertion that we can’t diminish God’s love for us. What we can do, however, is learn how to believe it, receive it, trust it, allow it, and celebrate it, accepting Trinity’s whirling invitation to join in the cosmic dance.

That’s God’s job description. That’s what it’s all about. And the only thing that can keep you out of this divine dance is fear or self-hatred. What would happen in your life—right now—if you fully accepted what God has created?
Suddenly, this is a very safe universe. You have nothing to be afraid of. God is for you. God is leaping toward you! God is on your side, honestly more than you are on your own.8 

Celebration of our connection to the life giving vine makes the inevitable pruning a joyous part of growth in our journey.

References

1	(n.d.). Acts, chapter 15 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/15
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 122 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/122
3	(n.d.). John, chapter 15 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/15
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved May 22, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/05/22/
7	(n.d.). Saint Rita of Cascia - Franciscan Media. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-rita-of-cascia/
8	(2019, May 22). A Constant Grace — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from https://cac.org/a-constant-grace-2019-05-22/