20180429
BEARING FRUITS IN CHRIST
29 APRIL, 2018, Sunday, 5th Week of Easter
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 9:26-31 ©
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Barnabas explained how the Lord had appeared to Saul on his
journey
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When Saul got to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but
they were all afraid of him: they could not believe he was really a disciple.
Barnabas, however, took charge of him, introduced him to the apostles, and
explained how the Lord had appeared to Saul and spoken to him on his journey,
and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. Saul now
started to go round with them in Jerusalem, preaching fearlessly in the name of
the Lord. But after he had spoken to the Hellenists, and argued with them, they
became determined to kill him. When the brothers knew, they took him to
Caesarea, and sent him off from there to Tarsus.
The churches
throughout Judaea, Galilee and Samaria were now left in peace, building
themselves up, living in the fear of the Lord, and filled with the consolation
of the Holy Spirit.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 21(22):26-28,30-32 ©
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You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.
or
Alleluia!
My vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.
They shall praise the Lord, those who seek him.
May their hearts live for ever and ever!
You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.
or
Alleluia!
All the earth shall remember and return to the Lord,
all families of the nations worship before him;
They shall worship him, all the mighty of the earth;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust.
You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.
or
Alleluia!
And my soul shall live for him, my children serve him.
They shall tell of the Lord to generations yet to
come,
declare his faithfulness to peoples yet unborn:
‘These things the Lord has done.’
You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.
or
Alleluia!
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Second reading
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1 John 3:18-24 ©
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The commandment of faith and love
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My children,
our love is not to be just words or mere talk,
but something real and active;
only by this can we be certain
that we are children of the truth
and be able to quieten our conscience in his presence,
whatever accusations it may raise against us,
because God is greater than our conscience and he knows
everything.
My dear people,
if we cannot be condemned by our own conscience,
we need not be afraid in God’s presence,
and whatever we ask him,
we shall receive,
because we keep his commandments
and live the kind of life that he wants.
His commandments are these:
that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ
and that we love one another
as he told us to.
Whoever keeps his commandments
lives in God and God lives in him.
We know that he lives in us
by the Spirit that he has given us.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn15:4,5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.
Whoever remains in me bears fruit in plenty.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 15:1-8 ©
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I am the vine, you are the branches
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Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I am the true vine,
and my Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in me that bears no fruit
he cuts away,
and every branch that does bear fruit
he prunes to make it bear even more.
You are pruned already,
by means of the word that I have spoken to you.
Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.
As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself,
but must remain part of the vine,
neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine,
you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me, with me in him,
bears fruit in plenty;
for cut off from me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
is like a branch that has been thrown away – he withers;
these branches are collected and thrown on the fire,
and they are burnt.
If you remain in me
and my words remain in you,
you may ask what you will
and you shall get it.
It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit,
and then you will be my disciples.’
BEARING FRUITS IN CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Acts 9:26-31; Ps 22:26-28,30-32; 1 John 3:18-24; John 15:1-8 ]
In the first
reading, we read of the radical conversion of St Paul from being a
persecutor of the Church to proclaimer of the gospel. Immediately
after his conversion, he continued to preach at Damascus until his life was at
risk because the Jews threatened to kill him. Hence, his followers sought
to save him by sending him to Jerusalem for safety. But one cannot keep
someone who has encountered Christ so radically from speaking about his
conversion experience. So St Paul, being the passionate person that he
was, “started to go round with them in Jerusalem, preaching fearlessly in the
name of the Lord.” Again, after his debate with the Hellenists, “they
became determined to kill him.”
The most
visible sign that we have a real conversion experience is when there is a
radical change of life, from one without faith or lacking in faith to one of deep faith;
from one of lukewarm faith to one of zealous faith. Indeed, evangelical
zeal is the sign of one having encountered the Lord because when we have
encountered the Good News in person, we cannot keep it to ourselves. The
joy and newfound life in us will naturally flow out of us to others. When
we are liberated and joyful and full of love, we want to reach out to
others. The lack of evangelical witness simply means that our faith in
Christ is at most an intellectual faith, but we have no real relationship with
the Lord.
How, then, do
we witness to the Lord? Firstly, we must have an utter conviction of
Jesus as Lord. St John wrote, “His commandments are these: that we believe
in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another as he told us
to.” To believe in the name of His Son means that we know who Jesus is,
that He is the Son of the Father, truly God and truly man. It is to
accept all that Jesus has taught us, and to declare Him to be the Lord.
As St Peter declared, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other
name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” We are
called to proclaim the name of Jesus as our Lord and savior.
Secondly, we
are called to love one another. Christian love for the Lord must be
concretely manifested in our love for our fellowmen. To recognize that
Jesus is Lord is to share in His passion for the salvation of our
fellowmen. Like Him too, we must recognize everyone as our brothers
and sisters. The letter to the Hebrews says, “For this reason Jesus is
not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” (Heb 2:11)
That is why St John reminds us, “My children, our love is not to be just words
or mere talk, but something real and active; only by this can we be
certain that we are the children of the truth.” With the love that
He has given to us, we are called to share that love with others.
Thirdly, to
be His witness means that we are called to bear the fruits of the Spirit. Jesus said, “It is to
the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my
disciples.” These fruits are not just the fruits of evangelization and
charity, but it is the way we live out our lives in the way we conduct
ourselves in our relationship with God and our fellowmen. It is a call to
live the life of the Spirit of Jesus in our very being. St Paul speaks of
these fruits in his letter to the Galatians. “The fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. (Gal 5:22 cf 2 Pt 1:5-8)
So how can we
bear fruits in our Christian life and discipleship? Firstly, the gospel
makes it clear that we must be one with the vine. “As a branch cannot
bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you
unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever
remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you
can do nothing.” Christians, to be fruitful, must be in communion with
the Lord who is the vine as we are His branches. When the branches are
connected with the vine, we will share in His Spirit and through and in Christ,
He will bear fruits in us.
To be in
communion with the Lord means that we make ourselves the dwelling place of God. Jesus said, “Make
your home in me, as I make mine in you.” This is possible only when we
are reading and praying the scriptures. Jesus said earlier on, “Those who
love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to
them and make our home with them.” (Jn 14:23)
Being in contact with the Word of God is where we are guided to walk in the
Spirit. “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that
everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good
work.” (2 Tim 3:16f)
In a special
way, to be in communion with the Lord we must celebrate the Eucharist and
receive Him in Holy Communion. Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood
abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live
because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.” (Jn 6:56f)
Being in communion with the Lord through the Eucharist enables us to live in
Him and Him in us.
However, the
Eucharist also speaks of our communion with the Body of Christ. Jesus is not just the
vine but the branches as well. We form the body of Christ with Jesus as
our head. By celebrating the Eucharist together, we affirm our
oneness with Christ and with each other. It is important therefore that
we gather as God’s family round the table of the Word and the bread of life so that
we can strengthen our bond with the Lord and with each other. The
Eucharist is the antidote to individualism and isolation.
This
communion with each other is expressed in fraternal support and love for each
other.
Alone, the journey of faith is very difficult but we are not called to be
alone. We are called to be in the body of Christ so that we can be
supported by the Christian community. That was how the early Christians
supported St Paul when he was converted. Without their support and
encouragement, St Paul would never have made it on his own. Even if he
tried, he would have been killed by his enemies. But there were good
Christians like Barnabas who connected him with the community and introduced
him to the rest so that they could give him the support. When “they were
all afraid of him: they could not believe he was really a disciple. Barnabas,
however, took charge of him, introduced him to the apostles.”
We too must
give support to each other in our faith. Like Barnabas, the best way to introduce
someone to Jesus is to introduce him or her to someone who has a deep faith in
the Lord expressed in his or her life of charity and goodness. The reason
why many of us do not have a deep faith in Christ and remain nominal Catholics
is because we are alienated, without any spiritual and fraternal support.
We must help each other to immerse in Christian fellowship so that we can be
edified and supported by the faith of others.
Finally, to
bear fruits, we must continually be pruned by the Lord. Jesus said to His
disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every
branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear
fruit he prunes to make it bear even more. You are pruned already, by
means of the word that I have spoken to you.” Faith is an ongoing
journey, just as in human relationship. It takes years to be purified in
love and understanding. So too in our relationship with God. Through the
Word of God, through the Christian community, through service and the trials of
the apostolate, we will be more and more purified in loving God and our
fellowmen more sincerely, unconditionally and freely. If we do that, then
we will be more and more fruitful each day, for this is the promise of the
Lord, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you
will and you shall get it.”
That is why,
if we have walked this way of the Spirit, we should be at peace with ourselves. “Only by this can we
be certain that we are the children of the truth and be able to quieten our
conscience in his presence, whatever accusations it may raise against us,
because God is greater than our conscience and he knows
everything.” Having done all we could, we must surrender everything
to the Lord. It is God who is our judge in the end. And we
know that God will judge us mercifully because He understands how much we
struggle to be faithful to Him in spite of our inadequacies and human frailties.
When we are true to ourselves as much as we can, and true to God, then St John
assures us, “if we cannot be condemned by our own conscience, we need not
be afraid in God’s presence,” So let us commend all our efforts of
evangelization and service to God and not be too scrupulous and condemn
ourselves for not doing more. ”
Nevertheless,
there is a warning for those who are complacent in their faith. Jesus said, “Anyone
who does not remain in me is like a branch that has been thrown away – he
withers; these branches are collected and thrown on the fire, and they are
burnt.” When we do not live the life of the Spirit, when we do not
connect ourselves with the Lord, we will wither and dry up in our faith as in
any relationship that is not nurtured and kept alive. Left to ourselves,
we become ignorant and anxious. We will destroy our peace and
happiness. But when we give Jesus to others, by sharing our faith and our
life, we too will grow in union with Jesus and with others. So let us
follow the early Christians by building ourselves up, “living in the fear of
the Lord, and filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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