Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B Acts 9:26-31/ Psalm 22/1John 3:18-24/ John 15:1-8 THEME: The Vine Dresser watches

The Christian life is a profound communion with Christ, the true vine, and with his body the Church. Anyone who is not united to him through faith and love (Second Reading) is no longer alive with the divine life, nor serves any purpose (Gospel). Those who remain united to Christ learn to reproduce his way of life in themselves and are fruitful, thus building up the Church. The Gospel reading today reminds us that being a member of the Church is something much more profound than simply subscribing to a series of doctrinal statements. It is a question of an internal communion of each believer with Christ, such that the life flowing through the trunk (Christ and the Church, his Body) and the members is one and the same. It is the life of the children of God, communicated to us in baptism, and by virtue of which “we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission” (CCC 1213). The gospel writer uses the word Abide or Remain eleven times (11 x) which is an indication that we cannot be fruitful Christians if we do not remain or abide in Jesus. Indeed, it is our being with him that will animate our ministry and give it life and vigour. Abiding in Jesus does not mean just been his companion. The word abide in this context means integration. We must be integrated in Christ. This is what will guarantee us salvation. The author of the fourth gospel reminds us again that apart from the Lord, we can do nothing. This is because the vine dresser cuts away the branch that does not bear fruit. What this cutting suggests is total annihilation of him who is cut off. However, he prunes that one that bears fruit so that it can bear more. A necessary suffering and discipline is needed for those who bear fruit so that they can bear more. This means that we are invited to abide in the Lord our entire life not just for a day or a year. There is always the temptation in every human being to become independent of the Lord especially in our moments of joy. However, the moment we become independent of Jesus, we are totally annihilated. We need to consciously and constantly depend on Jesus because the vine dresser is always watching and ready to cut off and prune. Indeed, we can do nothing without him. This is what the Psalmist emphasises when he says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Finally the author says, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that you joy may be complete. Indeed, “the resurrection of Jesus Christ has given hope to the yearnings of humanity” says Pope Benedict XVI. Life is not worth living without Christ. The kind of joy that Jesus invites us too is one that is not borne out of personal aggrandizement but one that Jesus himself gives. This means that our joy is incomplete without Christ. The allegory of the vine, therefore, reveals the common bond uniting all Christians brought about by baptism. “Baptism constitutes the foundation of communion among all Christians, including those who are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church …the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who through it are reborn” (CCC 1271). We are all under the watchful care of the Vine Dresser. Being a Christian does not just mean being part of the community of believers. It is developing a personal relationship with Jesus. Unlike trees, Christians who have the misfortune to lose the sap of divine life through sin can return to life through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. More important, however, is nourishing and strengthening that life through the Sacraments, prayer and the exercise of Christian charity. The Eucharist is the most privileged source in which we can seek to strengthen our unity with the Vine. God is the Father and divine Gardener who cares for the vine, and is constantly stripping the branches of excess growth that stops them from bearing fruit. That excess growth is evident when we are dedicated to adding surplus fat to our body, our spirit, our wallet, or our self-conceit. God’s intervention may come in the form of illness, disappointments, personal or business failures, and adversities of many other kinds. We are tempted to protest at his intervention: it is painful. In fact, we often fail to recognize what he is doing at all; “how can God allow this to happen to me?” But only if we accept it, even to the point of thanking him for it, will our lives overcome the sterility that threatens them and bear the rich fruit he has destined them to. In sum, we will be most fruitful if we become real disciples of Christ by learning to love as he has loved us. If we express it in deeds, it will be a visible sign of our belonging to him and a vivid invitation to others to join us. God changes His workmen, but His work goes on. And you and I are privileged to be part of that work today. The vine dresser is watching.