Be Pruned to be Fruitful: Acts 9:26-31; 1 Jn 3:18-24; Jn 15:1-8

 

Be Pruned to be Fruitful

Acts 9:26-31; 1 Jn 3:18-24; Jn 15:1-8

Whoever remains in me, and I in him, bears fruit in plenty, says the Lord. Alleluia (DO) 

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus teaches in metaphor of vine and branches.  The image of the vine has a religious connotation. Isaiah spoke of the house of Israel as “the vineyard of the Lord” (Is 5:7). Jeremiah said that God had planted Israel “as his choice vine” (Jer 2:21) and the Scriptures sees it as a sign of degeneration - a deformed state of spiritual growth and moral decline. Jesus calls himself the true vine and he makes clear that no one can grow spiritual unless they are pruned and well rooted in his life-giving word.

Religious duties or pious activities are not sufficient by themselves, rather one must be firmly rooted in the “Tree of Life” (Rev 22:1-2, Gen 2:8-9). This “Tree of life is the only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ who abides in the Father. Jesus is the true source of life that sustains us and makes us fruitful in living the abundant life. Jesus came to give us life in abundance (Jn 10:10). It is only through Jesus Christ that one can be fully grafted into the true “vineyard of the Lord”. Jesus can only offer true life.

How does the vine become fruitful? The vine dresser must carefully prune the vine before it can bear good fruit. Vines characteristically have two kinds of branches - those which bear fruit and those which don’t. The non-bearing branches must be carefully pruned back in order that the vine conserve its strength for bearing good fruit. It means that we need to be pruned in order to grow. Sometimes, we need to encounter adversity, trials, and suffering in order that we might bear more fruit in our lives. The wise gardener prunes the plants for its good. God in his infinite wisdom sends us times of adversity and suffering which is intended for our good and growth. His desire is always that we might bear more much fruit.

The apostle James said, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (Js 1:2-3). Similarly, Paul in his letter to the Hebrews says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hb 12:11).

When we go through testing times, we should have confidence that our heavenly Father is pruning us for our own good. However unpleasant it is, we can trust that the Lord is working for our good. The key question for us is, how do we choose to respond in times of trial and adversity? Will we choose to be angry with God, and turn away from him? Or will we choose to respond with faith and trust, knowing that he alone is able to turn our every adversity to good? Jesus says there can be no fruit in our lives apart from him. The fruit he speaks of here is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). 

Come Holy Spirit, Fill Your Faithful!!!

Rejoice, the Sheep of HIS Flock : Acts 4:8-12; 1 Jn 3:1-2; Jn 10:11-18 (B Easter 4)

 

Rejoice, the Sheep of HIS Flock

Acts 4:8-12; 1 Jn 3:1-2; Jn 10:11-18 (B Easter 4)

Rejoice then, O heaven, and you that dwell therein, alleluia (DO) 

Today’s liturgical readings focus on Jesus, the Good Shepherd. The Old Testament often speaks of God as shepherd of his people. Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps 23:1). We are all his people, the sheep of his flock (Ps 100:3). The Messiah feeds his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms (Is 40:11). Jesus is the Good Shepherd who risks his life to seek out and save the stray sheep (Mt 18:12, Lk 15:4). He is the good Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1 Pt 2:25). 

Jesus makes three promises to his sheep. He promises us everlasting life. If we accept him and follow him, we will have his own life. Secondly, Jesus promises us a life that would know no end. Death would not be the end but the beginning. We would know the glory of indestructible life. Thirdly, Jesus promises a life that is secure. He promises that nothing would snatch us not even sorrow or death, since he is the Alpha and the Omega. Our lives are safe in his hands.

Cyril of Alexander, 5th century Church Father comments, “Jesus the Good Shepherd prepared to give up his life fighting in defense of his sheep. Because his sheep has departed from the love of God, fallen into sin, …and got excluded from the divine abode of paradise. And Christ the True Shepherd laid down his life for the fallen sheep (1 Jn 3:16) destroying ‘the sting of death’. And, he promises us saying, “Fear not, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you a kingdom” (Lk 12:32). St Gregory the Great, preaching a homily on the Christ the Good Shepherd, says “..our Lord’s sheep will finally reach their grazing ground where all who follow him in simplicity of heart, will feed on the green pastures of eternity - the pastures of the spiritual joys of heaven.

The spiritual joys of heaven are to be cherished here and now. Sharing the joy of heaven is Christian charity. The charity of the Christian must reach beyond his or her own pastures of family, friends, the pastures of parish family and even beyond the pastures of citizens of one’s own country. We are called to be concerned about those who are hurt, starving, suffering or dying throughout the world. Our charity cannot be limited by anything including the parameters of our faith community. St. Teresa of Calcutta, for example, reached out to the pastures of the poor of Calcutta and throughout the world. Most of these people were non- Christians. All of these sheep are created in the image and likeness of God, the Shepherd.

In the busy-ness of our lives, noise, distractions even obscure calamities we desperately need to hear the voice – the voice of calm, the voice of reason, the voice of assurance, the voice of unconditional and unqualified love. This is the voice of Jesus the Shepherd speaking to us in the quiet of pastures of our hearts, in the love of our family and friends, in the cries of all calling out to us. The voice of the Good Shepherd calls out to us calmly and lovingly. Let us set out for these pastures where we will keep joyful festival with so many of our fellow sheep. May the thought of their happiness urge us on! Let us stir up our hearts, rekindle our faith, and rejoice along with the fold of the Good Shepherd.

“I am the good shepherd. I am the way, the truth and the life; I know my own and my own know me, alleluia” (DO)

 

THANKS BE TO GOD

 

THANKS BE TO GOD

For the fruits of his creation,

Thanks be to God;

For the gifts to every nation,

Thanks be to God;

For the ploughing, sowing, reaping,

Silent growth while men are sleeping,

Future needs in earth’s safekeeping,

Thanks be to God.

 

In the just reward of labor,

God’s will is done;

In the help we give our neighbor,

God’s will is done;

In our world-wide task of caring

For the hungry and despairing,

In the harvests men are sharing,

In the harvests men are sharing,

God’s will is done.

 

For the harvests of his spirit,

Thanks be to God;

For the good all men inherit,

Thanks be to God;

For the good all men inherit,

Thanks be to God;

For the wonders that astound us,

For the truths that still confound us,

Most of all, that love has found us,

Thanks be to God.

                                       (DO – Thur, III Vesp. Hymn) F. Pratt Green

 

Christ Illuminates Us: Acts 3:13-15,17-19; 1 Jn 2:1-5a; Lk 24:35-48 (B Easter 3)

 

Christ Illuminates Us

Acts 3:13-15,17-19; 1 Jn 2:1-5a; Lk 24:35-48 (B Easter 3)

“No one may share the Eucharist with us unless he believes …as if it were ordinary food and drink” (DO) 

On this third Sunday of Easter, the Gospel of Luke reports Jesus’s appearance to his disciples on the road to Emmaus and the Church invites us to celebrate the living Christ. Ignorance and doubt keep us in fear and darkness, but Christ illumines and strengthens our faith. Today’s readings speak of the relationship between ignorance and faith. Peter observed the ignorance of the Jewish leaders. That’s why he addressed them: “It was you who accused the Holy One, the Just…Now brothers, I know that neither you nor your leaders had an idea of what you were doing.”

The Jews waited for the fulfillment of God’s promises. And when that God came, they ignorantly rejected him. That’s why the evangelist John also writes: “Anyone who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a lair refusing to admit the truth.” Ignorance of God’s command leaves such people with a false impression that they know the truth. But “the time of ignorance is over” (Acts 17, 30-31). It is over through the risen Christ, our advocate. Therefore, we must continuously seek divine counsel and illumination from Christ, our advocate. Most importantly, we must continually repent and receive forgiveness. John the evangelist assures us today that “We have an advocate before the Father who is Just, he is the sacrifice that takes our sins away.”

Christ continues to strengthen his disciples’ faith by illuminating their minds with the scriptures. Even though they heard him preach and saw his miracles, they were ignorant of what the scriptures said about Him. St Jerome reminds us that: “Ignorance of the scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” Ignorance of God’s word and commandments is a major stumbling block to faith. Jesus knew this, so, “He opened their minds to scriptures…you see how it was written…” Hence, Paul always prayed: “May the Lord open the eyes of your minds” (Ep1:18). Indeed, our minds need the illumination from the light and glory of the risen Christ. 

Even though, the apostles did not manifest their doubt publicly. Jesus performed everything humanly possible to convince them. Christ visited them, ate, and drank with them. He even allowed them to touch his wounds. How many of us attend Sunday Masses, and yet, do not believe in the Eucharist? How many Christians, yet do not believe in the resurrection of the dead? How many Catholics receive the sacrament of confession and do not believe in the forgiveness of sin? How many Christians, do not believe that Jesus is true God and true man? How many Christians still do not believe that Christ was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit? These are different shades of doubt. We manifest them differently. May the risen Christ illuminate our minds that we may believe in him. Alleluia. 

“Jesus instituted the sacrament of his body and blood as a memorial of his death, alleluia” (DO)

DIVINE MERCY OF JESUS: Acts 4:32-35; 1 Jn 5:1-6; Jn 20:19-31 (B Easter 2)

 

DIVINE MERCY OF JESUS

Acts 4:32-35; 1 Jn 5:1-6; Jn 20:19-31 (B Easter 2)

“Your real life is Christ” (DO) 

Today, the Second Sunday of the Easter season is Divine Mercy Sunday. It was named by Pope John Paul II at the canonization of St. Maria Faustina on April 30, 2000, and then officially decreed by the Vatican.  Divine Mercy Sunday can be seen as the convergence of all the mysteries and graces of Holy Week and Easter Week. The feast focuses the light of the Risen Christ into a radiant beam of merciful love and grace for the whole world. In his revelations to St. Faustina Jesus, expressed His desire to celebrate this special feast. He says that the Feast of Mercy emerged from his very depths of tenderness; and mankind will not have peace until it turns to the fount of his mercy.  Jesus says that the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened and let no soul fear to draw near to him, even though one’s sins be very serious because the Feast of Mercy emerged from the very depths of his tenderness.

Secondly, all of us would be quick to affirm the mystery of faith. Still, that does not mean that we do not go through periods of doubt like the apostle Thomas. It is quite normal for people to doubt, in fact, it is part of the human condition. It is normal for all of us to question ourselves. At times, it is normal for us to question the depth of our faith. I really do not believe that a person with doubts loses faith, rather searches for faith. Maybe we can understand this better if we consider two of the ways that doubt enters our lives.

First of all, most of us entered into periods of doubt as we grew up.  A pre-teen or teen might question a religion teacher. How do I know that God exists?  There is another type of doubt that is far more difficult to deal with. That is the doubt that enters our lives when things go very wrong. It is one thing to be a person of faith when all is wonderful in our lives. It is another thing to have faith when a loved one gets sick or dies, or when we are afflicted with a serious illness, or when our life plans are destroyed by the malicious actions of another. It was easy for the Disciple Thomas to believe in Jesus when he experienced healing. And it was very difficult for him to believe when his own world appeared to fall apart on Good Friday. Thomas doubted the Resurrection because he could not get pass the crucifixion.

Doubting is part of the human condition. It will exist in all our lives to some extent or other until the time that we see our God face to face. At that time the whole concept of doubt will be pointless. But until then, we recognize our humanity and we humbly ask God to admit us as we are, human beings with human limitations, into his divinity. Faith is a gift that God promises will be given to all who seek it. When Doubting Thomas made his act of faith, Jesus responded, “You believe because you have seen. Blessed are those who have not seen but believe.” Jesus was talking about us. He was calling us blessed because we have often taken a leap of faith and left the limitations of the physical for the infinite gifts of the spiritual. Remember Thomas had an experience of the Resurrected Jesus. We only have an experience of an empty tomb. We have not seen, but we believe. Maybe that is why Pope St. John Paul II declared that the Sunday that we reflect on doubts and faith should also be the Sunday that we recognize the overwhelming Divine Mercy of the Lord in the Eucharist we receive and the word we hear.

 

“Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth, alleluia.”

 

Hallelujah … The Power of Christ’s Blood

If we wish to understand the power of Christ’s blood, we should go back to the ancient account of its prefiguration in Egypt. “Sacrifice a lamb without blemish,” commanded Moses, “and sprinkle its blood on your doors.” If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an irrational beast could possibly save men endowed with reason, his answer would be that the saving power lies not in the blood itself, but in the fact that it is a sign of the Lord’s blood. In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ.

If you desire further proof of the power of this blood, remember where it came from, how it ran down from the cross, flowing from the Master’s side. The gospel records that when Christ was dead, but still hung on the cross, a soldier came and pierced his side with a lance and immediately there poured out water and blood. Now the water was a symbol of baptism and the blood, of the holy Eucharist. The soldier pierced the Lord’s side, he breached the wall of the sacred temple, and I have found the treasure and made it my own. So also with the lamb: the Jews sacrificed the victim and I have been saved by it.

“There flowed from his side water and blood.” Beloved, do not pass over this mystery without thought; it has yet another hidden meaning, which I will explain to you. I said that water and blood symbolised baptism and the holy Eucharist. From these two sacraments the Church is born: from baptism, “the cleansing water that gives rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit,” and from the holy Eucharist. Since the symbols of baptism and the Eucharist flowed from his side, it was from his side that Christ fashioned the Church, as he had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam. Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim: “Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh!” As God then took a rib from Adam’s side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from his side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and the water after his own death.

 Do you understand, then, how Christ has united his bride to himself and what food he gives us all to eat? By one and the same food we are both brought into being and nourished. As a woman nourishes her child with her own blood and milk, so does Christ unceasingly nourish with his own blood those to whom he himself has given life. The blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, purifies us from all sin. Through him we all have access to the Father in the one Spirit. Hallelujah
 

Saint John Chrysostom

(Good Friday – 29^th March 2024 – DO)

The Lord’s Descent into the Underworld

The Lord’s Descent into the Underworld

 

Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

 He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

 I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

 See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

 I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

 Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.

 

From an ancient homily for Holy Saturday (Holy Saturday – DO)