5th Sunday of Easter

5^thSunday of Easter Year B 2018:

Jesus says in the gospel: I am the vine, you are the branches, remain in me.  This image of the vine is an ancient one.  It even goes back to before the time of Jesus.  The prophets would call Israel the vine of God.  Grapevines were something the people knew.  It was a down-to-earth kind of image.  But, for us, maybe it seems a bit more removed. Not everyone is an expert in grapevines anymore.  But, the analogy is easy to pick up.  Christ is the vine.  He is the source.  All energy and life flow out from him.  If we want to be filled with the joy of being his disciple, it is necessary for us to be connected to him.  The word he uses over and again in this passage is “remain.”  

So, a good question to ask ourselves is: what kind of branch am I?  Do I feel like a green and tender branch that is filled with the life and spirit of God? Or, do I feel like a dried out old cracked branch that is good for nothing but burning?  Somewhere in between?  The formula is simple: remain in me.  But, the challenge is to make it happen.  The life of faith has to have concrete expression, or it won’t happen at all. 

Friday, we had a retreat for our 8^thgrade students. They are all getting ready to venture out into the wild world of high school.  They will be going through big changes.  They will have many things that could cause them some stress and anxiety. And, really, our lives are much the same.  We have so much in our lives that can cause us difficulty.  So, I gave them three little steps for growing in their life of prayer.  I think these three steps are a good way to put “remain in me” into action in our daily lives.

Step one is daily prayer.  If we don’t talk to God every day, it’s really tough to be connected to him. If we don’t communicate with God, it’s really hard to be his friend, let alone his disciple.  We should never let a day go by without prayer.  But, for many people, we don’t really know how to pray. It’s not overly complicated. Prayer is different for each person, because prayer is personal.  Prayer is a conversation with God.  Prayer is living with God.  So, if you want God’s life and love to flow through you, make sure you pray every day.

Second step is worshipping God at Mass, especially on Sunday. I don’t have to convince all of you of the importance of Sunday Mass, you are here.  But, how many of us know a friend or family member that has decided they don’t need to go to Mass?  Most of us I’m sure.  The sad thing about missing out on Mass, especially Sunday Mass, is that Mass is precisely the place where we can connect with Christ in a tangible concrete way. The Holy Eucharist is Christ.  He remains in us when we come here for prayer. People might say to me: I can pray in the woods.  That’s great. But, do you?  When was the last time you prayed in the woods?  I know the last time I prayed at Mass.  Making Sunday Mass a priority is important because it gives us a concrete chance to connect with God in a public and concrete way. So, if you know of someone away from Mass, you might just share with them that Mass is a great way to connect with Christ.  He is the vine, we are the branches.

Third step is to frequent the sacrament of confession.  We get all dried out as branches because of our sinfulness.  The best way to restore the life and love of God within us is to go to confession. Confession recognizes that sometimes we wander away from Christ.  Sin is when we do not “remain” in him.  But, by going to confession, we connect ourselves with the vine once again.  Our sins are forgiven and we are filled once again with his life.

So, what kind of branch are you?  Where is your life of faith right now?  If it’s great, that’s awesome.  Keep remaining in Christ and stay connected to him.  If it’s not great, no better time than now to turn back and reconnect with Christ.  Pray every day.  Worship God at Mass.  Go to confession.  These are wonderful ways to stay connected to Christ.

But, I don’t want to end today without mentioning what Christ expects of all of us.  Remaining in him is a great outline for the spiritual life.  But, what’s the goal?  Christ wants us to bear fruit.  Sometimes we can get just a little bit self-centered and think that the spiritual life is all about our connection to Christ for our own sake. But, that forgets that Christ wants us to carry out his works in the world.  If we are not bearing fruit, then what are we doing?  At the end of our lives, each of us will be asked that question: did you bear great fruit?  If you need some ideas on how to bear fruit, just look at the banners in the back of the church.  These banners connect this image of the vine with the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. These actions produce fruit in the world because they extend God’s love and mercy to those in need.

Today as we celebrate this Holy Eucharist, we connect with Christ once again.  He remains in us and we in him.  But, then as we leave this Holy Mass, don’t forget to go and bear fruit.