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Vine
branches, trimmed and made fruitful for the Mission
V Sunday of Easter
Year B –
14.5.2006
Acts
9:26-31
Psalm 21
1John 3;18-24
John 15,1-8
Reflections
The
hours between the Last Supper and the beginning of the Lord's Passion
are a
densely-filled period, spent in the Cenacle, which is where he places
many
themes that are important in his theology and spiritual experience. In
this context
of leave-taking, so full of meaning, we find the passage read
in
today's Gospel, about the vine and the branches, in which Jesus takes
up the
rich biblical theme of the vine, of which the prophets sang (Isaiah,
Jeremiah,
Ezekiel) and which is found in the Psalms. Here Jesus identifies
himself with
the vine: “I am the true vine”. He is the true vine of the new
Israel, that
will not disappoint God's expectations, because it will bear fruit.
In
the passage about the vine and the branches, there is a trinitarian
revelation: the Father is the vinedresser, the Son is the true
vine, the
Holy Spirit is the living and loving lymph at the centre heart of the
Trinity
and in the hearts of the disciples, who are the branches. Indeed, the
allegory
of the vine and the branches can also give rise to an ecclesial
and eucharistic
reading: the first "fruit of the vine" is the Eucharist of
the New Alliance in the blood of Jesus (Mt.26:29). The other fruits are
asked
of those whom He calls to follow him: "that you bear much fruit and be
my
disciples (cf. v.8). These fruits can be found in the field that is the
earth,
where "the harvest is great, but the labourers are few" (Mt.9:37).
To
bear fruit, it is absolutely necessary that the branches are
united with
the vine; all agricultural experience teaches that there is no
exception or alternative to this. So Jesus insists: “Remain (make
your home)
in me (v. 4). The verb "remain" appears seven times in today's
reading. So it is not enough to be present, or to flutter from tree to
tree
like a bird or a butterfly. "Remain" indicates stability, a fixed
abode, a residence. And so, friendship, fellowship,
identification. (*) A
friendship that is strengthened by pruning, which is experienced as a
necessary
stage of purification and of fruitfulness: “to bear fruit in plenty".
Job
, who had quite an experience of being pruned, assures us of this: the
man whom
God corrects is happy; God's hands wound only to heal (Jb5:17-18).
The
call to trust in God always - even in the toils of suffering - comes
from John
in the second Reading. "God is greater than our conscience and he knows
everything" (v.20); He has given us the Holy Spirit (v.24) to teach us
to
love, not by words alone, but in deed and truth (v.18).
One
example of this love is the story of Paul (1st
Reading): after
having persecuted Christians, he discovers the presence in them of the
Lord who
has changed his life. On the road to Damascus, an apostle was born, not
just a
Christian. The great missionary who - thanks to Barnabas who undertakes
to
present him to the Apostles - preached in Damascus and in Jerusalem
with
courage, openly, in the Name of the Lord Jesus (v. 27-28). But the
fears and
suspicions were enormous, not only because he had been a persecutor,
but maybe
especially because “Paul showed a power and a broadness of vision that
surprised and frightened the Christians who had already become
accustomed to a
life without the missionary urge shown by the new convert. He preached
courageously and did not fear opening a discussion with Greek-speaking
Hebrews.
His message and his vehemence brought him problems. Paul took very
seriously
something that we find very difficult: to love our neighbour in his
concrete
situation” (Gustavo Gutiérrez).
Instead
of slipping into his own plans and following his own path, Paul,
trimmed and
made fruitful in his sufferings, faced misunderstanding and divergence,
was
ready to face the other Apostles, was not isolated; indeed, he
sought and
maintained ecclesial communion with the group. It is an example
for all
who, even today, dedicate themselves passionately to the missionary
cause of
the Gospel, but encounter misunderstandings and opposition in the
Church
community. The easiest thing is the temptation to abandon everything.
Paul,
instead, held on and struggled. Always seeking communion. Always with
love.
The Pope's
words
(*)
“The destiny of these called persons, from now on, will be
intimately
linked with that of Jesus. The apostle is one who is sent, but,
before that,
is one who has experienced Jesus. ... The adventure of the
Apostles begins
in this way, as an encounter of persons who open up to each other. For
the
disciples, a direct knowing of the Master begins. They see where he
lives and
begin to know him. In fact, they will not have to be proclaimers of an
idea,
but witnesses to a person. Before being sent to evangelise they must stay
with
Jesus (cf. Mk 3:14), establishing a personal relationship with him. On
this
basis, evangelisation will be nothing more than a proclamation of what
has been
experienced and a call to enter the mystery of communion with Christ
(cf. 1Jn
1:3)”.
Benedict
XVI
General
Audience, Wednesday
22.03.2006
In the
steps of Missionaries
-
14/5: St. Matthias Apostle, called to make up the number of the Twelve.
-
14/5: Bl. Theodora (Anne Therese) Guérin (1798-1856), a French nun in
the
Sisters of Divine Providence, and a missionary in Indianapolis
(USA).
-
15/5: St. Isidore the farmer (Madrid, c.1080-1130), husband of Bl.
Maria de la Cabeza:
he was an example of hard work and trust in Divine Providence.
-
15/5: International Day of the Family, instituted by the United Nations
in
1994.
-
16/5: St. Simon Stock (+1265), an English Carmelite and hermit who
spread
devotion to Our Lady and helped to consolidate his Order. He died in
Bordeaux
(France.
-
17/5: St Paschal Baylón (1540-1592), a Spanish Franciscan. Because of
his
special love and knowledge of the Eucharist, he was proclaimed Patron
of
Eucharistic Congresses by Pope Leo XIII.
-
17/5: Bl. Ivan Ziatyk (1899-1952), a Ukrainian Redemptorist priest. He
was
imprisoned and condemned to forced labour in the camp of Oserlag,
near Irkutsk
(Siberia), where he died.
-
20/5: St. Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444), a Franciscan priest and an
example
of tireless itinerant missionary work and preaching.
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Edited by Fr. Romeo
Ballan, mcci - Former Director of CIAM, Rome
Website:
www.ciam.org “Word for the Mission”
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