DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Acts 9,26-31; 1 John3,18-24; John 15, 1-8; 5th Sunday of Easter: Year B April 29, 2018)
In his farewell speech, Jesus made it clear that he would not leave the disciples alone and he mentioned to them what and what they had to do in order to remain in union with him. In today’s gospel reading, he tells them what they have to do in order to bear fruit. He uses the Allegory (a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one) of the Vine and Branches to indicate this. He begins thus: I am the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away. Jesus speaks about fruit in two other passages in the gospel of John (4,36-38; 12,24). In John 12,24, he holds: If a grain of wheat falls on the ground and does not die, remains alone but if it dies it produces much fruit. Jesus by his death and resurrection is the grain who by dying produced much fruit. Jesus is also the vine whose branches have to bear much fruit. In the first instance, he speaks of the importance of his death in order to attract believers to himself (cfr. John 12,32) while in the second case he illustrates on what the fecundity of the apostolate of his depends. By means of the Allegory of the Vine and Branches, Jesus affirms with an insuperable clarity how much the disciples depend on the union with him. A branch can give fruit only if it is attached to the vine and if it is permeated with the vital sap of the vine. If it is detached from the vine and therefore lacks the essential sap, it simply withers away and the possibility of bearing fruit is excluded. It all means that the missionary fecundity of the disciples depends completely on their being united to Christ. Without him the disciples would not be able to do anything. This is why they have to, by all means seek to be firmly attached to him. The need for this becomes more urgent when one considers the fact that God, the Father has even much interest in the fruit bearing (John 15,2). The issue of bearing fruit or not, is not left to the choice of the disciple and is not without consequences to them. Jesus chose them and destined them to bear fruit (John 15,16) and it is the will of the Father that through their work they would lead some people to faith in Jesus Christ.
All depends on the union of the disciples with Jesus. And the basis of this union is acceptance of, and fidelity to, the words of Jesus, not to ethnic or national identity. The importance of observing this teaching cannot be overemphasised. It is the message that shapes the religious identity of the disciples. The bond that is the source of union is faith. It joins one to the vine and to other branches. It also entitles one to access the blessings of God (If you abide in me and my words abide in you will ask what you desire and it will be done for you) since the prayers of the branches can be seen as the prayer of the vine, and God is attentive to the vine. The vitality expressed by this allegory is unmistakable. The vine and branches are alive with the life of God. This union is offered to all who would listen to the words of Jesus, accept his divine claim, live in union with him and his other disciples.
The event that makes one a branch or has made us branches of the vine and which, as it were, engrafts us into Christ is Baptism (Romans 11,16) through which the Holy Spirit is effused in our hearts (Romans 5, 5) and we become regenerated into the divine life and become transformed even at the depth of our being. Being so transformed by the grace of God one becomes an enthusiastic disciple of the Lord and therefore a living branch that produces fruit. The first reading among other themes brings to the fore the marvellous transformation the grace of God can effect: even a persecutor can become a disciple, a branch of the vine! Saul persecuted Christ and through the encounter with the Risen Christ on his way to Damascus, he got his rebirth and began to proclaim the same Christ whom he persecuted. Even though his initial attempt of proclaiming Christ met brick walls of opposition, he was designated as the chosen vessel of God who will bear his name before Gentiles and, kings and the children of Israel (Acts 9,15). We all know how fruitful the missionary activities of Paul was.
Sharing in the divine life has practical implications for us in our day to day lives as Christians. The picture the Psalmist painted about a tree planted beside the waters in the first psalm captures what happens when one’s life is grafted in Christ the vine. Such a one, says the Psalmist, is like a tree planted near streams; it bears fruit in season and its leaves never wither. One who shares the life of Christ and lives in intimate communion with him is ruled by love not by law; he finds deeper meaning in the commandments as rule of life to be joyfully lived and not some tasking statutes to be grudgingly adhered to; he finds enormous joy in serving others and enjoys an inner joy and serenity accessible only to one led by the Spirit.
Our world needs the fruitfulness that comes from intimate communion with Christ in order to become a better place. How different indeed the human society will be if half of those who occupy the pews every Sunday have their lives grafted deeply into Christ and strive to live a life of intimate communion with him! May we during the Eucharistic celebration of this Sunday ask the Almighty God to make active, effective and fruitful our being grafted at our Baptism into Christ, his risen Son. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye
Graphics by chukwubike oc
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