28th April -5th Sunday of Easter
Dear Parishioners,
‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.’
In this 5th Sunday of Eastertide we hear Jesus tell us that he is the ‘true vine’. Jesus is the only source of the nourishment we need for the new life of grace that we have received through his death and Resurrection and our baptism. Jesus is the only way to Heaven and salvation. We are encouraged to know and love Jesus and be attached to him always by practising our faith. To apply these teachings to our own life, we can begin by looking at our faith as if it were a branch firmly attached to a vine. Do we believe all that God has spoken through his Word? Since faith is the first step in the spiritual life, it must remain firmly grounded in the truth God has revealed. This means seeing the truth in the Word of God revealed in the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church and believing and following those teachings. Next, after affirming our faith in all that God has revealed, do we see concrete acts of love in our life that result from our faith? Do we seek to love God and to love our neighbour as our self? Charity is the fruit of faith. What acts of charity for others can we point to in our life? What have we sensed God calling us to do in a selfless and sacrificial way? Jesus tells us that God has to also prune the vine in our lives so that it remains healthy. Jesus died on the Cross so that we could live a new life beyond evil, sin and death. This invites us to humbly surrender our hearts to God, acknowledging our need of his merciful love and grace. Pruning can be painful and requires sacrifice, patience in the face of trial, overcoming selfishness and doing things we don’t always feel like doing. Let us reflect upon this image of the vine that Jesus uses today. It’s a lesson from nature for us that reveals the supernatural life of grace at work. Let us not be deterred by any pruning God wants to do. Let us respond with love, forgiveness and mercy and seek to serve others selflessly. Let us pray that God will be able to build up his Kingdom in glorious ways through each one of us.
God bless you, Fr Martin
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