In this section of John’s Gospel, we find Jesus, having just finished the Last Supper, after having made the amazing “servant gesture” of washing the disciples’ feet. He now sets out explaining to his closest friends what he expects of them, and helps them to understand all that he has taught them.
He tells them that they are intimately connected to him, like vines to a branch; that it is from him that they draw their sustenance; their very life. They have life in and through him. He shares with them they have already been pruned and will bear great fruit.
Jesus wants them to remain in him as he remains in them! What a wonderful image for us to ponder, this indwelling of Christ. In the verse that comes immediately following the final verse we heard in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love”.
These are amazing images of love and intimacy being shared between Jesus and his disciples. As he knows his life with them is about to change dramatically, he tells them that they will be able to continue on, and they are ready to produce great fruit and that they are connected to one another and to him, and will always remain so.
In the first reading we heard of some of the fruit born of these relationships and this enduring Divine presence amongst Jesus’ disciples. We heard how the nascent church was rapidly spreading and growing, filled with the Holy Spirit. But we also know that there were great struggles as well, even in the midst of the presence of the Risen One.
The disciples were human -- they argued and disagreed -- and still they produced great fruit. Even in the midst of human weakness and failures, Christ’s presence has the power to save us from ourselves, and help us to do amazing things!
Today we find ourselves in scary, strange and difficult times. So much of the world seems angry and to have lost its way, seemingly bent on regressing to former less just and more divisive time. We find ourselves in a cycle of unbelievable mass shootings, over 125 in the first three months of this year! Ongoing law enforcement shootings and uncalled for uses of deadly force on our black and brown brothers and sisters and shocking violence towards Asians and Pacific Islander sisters and brothers as well as other minorities and women.
And we are witnessing a shocking rise in White Christian Nationalism, which threatens our national values to their very core.
There is so much discord in our world, in our country and even in our lives in general, for many of us, we ask ourselves, how do we hold it together?
I believe that the way we hold it together is through maintaining a conscious connection and awareness of the presence of the risen Christ within us and with us at all times, even when we can’t seem to feel that divine presence and we feel like we are running out of hope. Even in the midst of chaos Christ is still there, still loving us through our darkest moments. This is at the heart of the Gospel message -- we are never abandoned by God.
Our discipleship calls us to stand up to the discord and injustices of the world, to speak out on behalf of the abused --those denied justice and those whose voices are ignored or silenced. We are able to do this through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Risen Christ who has promised to remain with us for all time.
How or when have I let the power of the Holy Spirit’s presence within me shine through, guiding my thoughts and actions? Jesus spoke of pruning…what pruning might I need to allow Jesus to do, to make my life more Christ centered that I might abide in his love more fully and share that love with others through my daily decisions and actions?
Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim
He tells them that they are intimately connected to him, like vines to a branch; that it is from him that they draw their sustenance; their very life. They have life in and through him. He shares with them they have already been pruned and will bear great fruit.
Jesus wants them to remain in him as he remains in them! What a wonderful image for us to ponder, this indwelling of Christ. In the verse that comes immediately following the final verse we heard in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love”.
These are amazing images of love and intimacy being shared between Jesus and his disciples. As he knows his life with them is about to change dramatically, he tells them that they will be able to continue on, and they are ready to produce great fruit and that they are connected to one another and to him, and will always remain so.
In the first reading we heard of some of the fruit born of these relationships and this enduring Divine presence amongst Jesus’ disciples. We heard how the nascent church was rapidly spreading and growing, filled with the Holy Spirit. But we also know that there were great struggles as well, even in the midst of the presence of the Risen One.
The disciples were human -- they argued and disagreed -- and still they produced great fruit. Even in the midst of human weakness and failures, Christ’s presence has the power to save us from ourselves, and help us to do amazing things!
Today we find ourselves in scary, strange and difficult times. So much of the world seems angry and to have lost its way, seemingly bent on regressing to former less just and more divisive time. We find ourselves in a cycle of unbelievable mass shootings, over 125 in the first three months of this year! Ongoing law enforcement shootings and uncalled for uses of deadly force on our black and brown brothers and sisters and shocking violence towards Asians and Pacific Islander sisters and brothers as well as other minorities and women.
And we are witnessing a shocking rise in White Christian Nationalism, which threatens our national values to their very core.
There is so much discord in our world, in our country and even in our lives in general, for many of us, we ask ourselves, how do we hold it together?
I believe that the way we hold it together is through maintaining a conscious connection and awareness of the presence of the risen Christ within us and with us at all times, even when we can’t seem to feel that divine presence and we feel like we are running out of hope. Even in the midst of chaos Christ is still there, still loving us through our darkest moments. This is at the heart of the Gospel message -- we are never abandoned by God.
Our discipleship calls us to stand up to the discord and injustices of the world, to speak out on behalf of the abused --those denied justice and those whose voices are ignored or silenced. We are able to do this through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Risen Christ who has promised to remain with us for all time.
How or when have I let the power of the Holy Spirit’s presence within me shine through, guiding my thoughts and actions? Jesus spoke of pruning…what pruning might I need to allow Jesus to do, to make my life more Christ centered that I might abide in his love more fully and share that love with others through my daily decisions and actions?
Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim
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