Reflection on the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 2, 2021. Year B.
Readings
Theme: Vine and Branches
The Easter message of life in the risen Christ continues in today’s gospel of the vine and the branches. Apart from Jesus the vine, there can be no Spirit-life for his disciples. The letter of John reminds us that it is this same Spirit that enables us to recognize Jesus as God’s Son and to keep his commandments. The Spirit at work in Acts moves the recently converted Paul to present his message in Jerusalem regardless of the personal danger involved. Thus the vine and branches constitute a living reality within the human soul and within a growing church.
First Reading — Acts 9:26–31
Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion differs in its Lucan form from the account given by the apostle himself (Gal 1:18f). Although the length of time between conversion and the visit is not specified in Acts, Galatians speaks of a three year interval. The two are difficult to reconcile if it is to be thought that there was still fear of the converted apostle after such a long period of time (v 26). In Galatians, the trip is not attributed to a hurried escape (vv 24f) but to a planned meeting with Cephas.
Paul indicates that of the apostles he saw only Cephas, while Acts speaks of his meeting all the apostles (v 27). His movements in Jerusalem were free and evidently extensive (vv 28f), although Paul states that he remained largely unknown to the churches of Judea (Gal 1:22).
This passage undoubtedly represents one of Luke’s schematic and condensed presentations of the data. Regardless of the actual time sequence, Luke wants to legitimate Paul’s mission in the eyes of the twelve prior to the start of the apostle’s Gentile mission. Therefore, he presents himself and his case to the apostles (v 27) and joins them in their Jerusalem preaching (v 28). Paul’s engagement in the preaching ministry not only links his message with that of the twelve but also provides a foretaste of the opposition he will repeatedly receive from his former co-religionists (v 29). The Hellenists were Greek-speaking Jews in Jerusalem characterized by strongly traditionalist views.
After Paul’s departure, Luke presents an idyllic picture of peace and serenity, together with a steady increase in numbers. The Holy Spirit, the principal actor in Acts, is here the comforter, just as elsewhere he is the guide (v 31). Galilee (v 31): Again Luke is schematic. Thus far there has been no mention of preaching in that part of the country.
Responsorial Psalm — Ps 22
These concluding verses of the individual lament, celebrating the sufferer’s deliverance, have a strong universalist bent (v 28). The poor (anawim) (v 27) were initially the needy in society for whom Yahweh was the provider, with the category receiving the later internal or spiritual emphasis of lowliness and dependence. The acclaim of the Lord and his reign comes from all the people of the earth (v 28) and embraces the present, the past (“all who sleep in the earth,” v 30) and the future (“descendants, generations to come” (v 31).
Second Reading — 1 Jn 3:18–24
Voicing belief is not sufficient; faith must come to life in action (v 18; Jas 1:22). The self-accusation of a disturbed conscience (“a condemning heart”) can be allayed by the realization that ultimately it is God who forgives and justifies (vv 19f). Moreover, there is an objective criterion that determines the heart’s stance before God, namely, the observance of his commandments (v 22).
In summarizing the command of God in terms of faith and love of neighbor, John may be giving his version of the great gospel mandate (v 23; Mk 12:28–31) since in Johannine thinking faith in God and love of him coalesce (Jn 16:27). This would be in line with the Johannine dictum on the inseparable character of love of God and neighbor (4:20f; Jn 13:34f). The belief spoken of here is an adherence to Jesus as Lord and Son of God (v 23).
The indwelling of Father and Son (Jn 14:10ff) is extended to the believer through the action of the Spirit who binds the three together (v 24). To observe the aforementioned commandments of faith and love is to be assured that the indwelling is a reality, verified by the Spirit itself.
Third Reading — Jn 15:1–8
This extended metaphor has four allegorical components: the vine grower (the Father), the vine (Jesus), the branch (the disciple), and the fruit (commandment observance). In speaking of himself as the true vine (v 1), the Johannine Jesus uses the adjective in contrast with something of the past (4:23; 6:32).
Israel was the biblical vine (Is 5:1–7; Jer 2:21; Hos 10:1), now supplanted by Christ. In the vine and the branches, the relationship between Christ and the believer is expressed in terms more intimate and personal than in the preceding image of the shepherd (c. 10). It is the language of the indwelling, the “remaining together” in friendship, that here comes to the fore in characterizing the bond between Jesus and his followers. Because of the mutual love and unity of Father and Son, Christ can give assurance of the Father’s response to prayer (v 7; 14:13).
It is this “abiding” of the believer in Jesus that is productive of good (vv 4f). Failure to produce fruit results in a severance of the branch, i.e. an end time separation from Christ by the intervention of the Father (vv 2a, 6) through pruning; on the other hand, the true believers are strengthened (v 2b). The disciples are consoled in being told that their fidelity has been established (v 3). Just as the Father is glorified by the obedient death of his Son (12:27f), so also does the virtuous life of the disciple give glory to God (v 8). Finally the fruit-bearing is specified in terms of the commandments (v 10), made explicit in 1 John as faith in God’s Son and love of neighbor (1 Jn 3:23).
The Easter shepherd theme presents Christ as our leader and guide. The image of the vine carries us to an even deeper level. Christ is as intimately one with us as he is with the Father. And it is this unity that produces the good that we do. Even if we are not always as aware as we should be, Christ lives in us as long as we do not sin. If we are striving to live as uprightly as possible, then we are assured of his presence. Serious sin, then, is the betrayal of our closest companion on life’s journey. And what is the betrayal? What is God’s commandment? To believe in God’s Son and to love one another. Belief is far more than a simple assent; it is to be open to transformation, to become like the One in whom we believe. And to love our neighbor is to respect his or her person in every sense of the word. In the words of Paul, that means patience, kindness, generosity, fidelity, gentleness and self-control. It also means a “no” to hatred, rivalry, jealousy, anger, envy, lust, and debauchery. John’s commandment, then, says much in a few words.
The church places a great deal of stock in continuity and linkage. We are symbolically linked with the church in different ways when we are missioned. Just as the apostles authenticated Paul, bishops commission priests in ordination, missionaries are “sent” by their superiors, and theologians receive a mandate to teach. Religious profession links the person with a very distinctive historical corporate personality. Catechumens preparing for baptism are acknowledged and incorporated by the parish community. We share a common understanding of the faith. We worship in a corporate way. Religion has its private and personal dimension about which today’s liturgy speaks. But it also makes us part of a larger whole, to which and for which we have a shared responsibility.
