Fifth Sunday of Easter – May 6, 2012
The readings for this Sunday are: Acts 9:26-31; 1 John 3:18-24; John 15:1-8

In John’s Gospel (15:1-8) for the 5th Sunday of Easter, we have the image of the vine and its branches to express the relationship between Christ and his disciples. We should not be surprised that at one level it seems utterly simple, but that at other levels it fills us with a sense of mystery, awe, and beauty, always leaving us wanting more.

The branches of a vine have an intimate relationship with the vine, depending on it at all times and forming one living organism with it. The vine, which can be a bit foreign in northern climates, is natural for anyone in the Middle East, where many families possess a vine, a fig tree, or olive trees in their gardens.

Jesus tells his followers that he is the true vine, the real vine, and that they are the branches, whose task is to bear fruit by sharing his life: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. Abide in me as I abide in you. Apart from me you can do nothing. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:1, 4-5, 7). [Read more...]

April 12, 2012 – Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday

Readings: Acts 4:32-35; 1 John 5:1-6; John 20:19-31

There is a proverb that says: “When the heart is not applied, hands can’t do anything.” It seems as if this were written for Thomas the Apostle in today’s very familiar Gospel story that provides us with an archetypal experience of doubt, struggle and faith.

John’s second appearance of the Risen Lord to the disciples is both intense and focused. It is evening, the first day of the week, and the doors were bolted shut. Anxious disciples are sealed inside. A suspicious, hostile world is forced tightly outside. Jesus is missing. Suddenly, the Risen One defies locked doors, blocked hearts, and distorted vision and simply appears. Jesus reaches out ever so gently to the broken and wounded Apostle. Thomas hesitatingly put his finger into the wounds of Jesus and love flowed out. How can you hear this story without thinking of Caravaggio’s magnificent painting of this scene? [Read more...]