Homily for 5th Sunday of Easter

Homily for the
5th Sunday of Easter

May 2, 2021
John 15: 1-8
Holy Name, New Rochelle, N.Y.   
St. Anthony, Bronx, N.Y.

“Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit” (John 15: 5).

All of us hope to leave some kind of a legacy, to make some kind of mark on the world, to leave a memory.  For most of us, that legacy is probably confined to our families:  our children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and all the relationships involved, the impact we have upon them.

For some there may be more:  the impact of a career, a business, or a vocation.  Think of the generational legacy of a teacher, for example, or the founder of a family business.  As a teacher I made a positive impact on at least some of my students; I hope it was on more of them than I know of.  I also hope that books and articles I’ve written will be part of the Salesian heritage.

Jesus doesn’t use the term legacy in today’s gospel.  Instead, he speaks of fruit, using the image of vines, branches, and grapes that his disciples would recognize instantly.  He calls himself a vine and his disciples its branches:  “I am the vine, you are the branches” (15:5).  He tells them that their lives will be fruitful—will have a lasting impact—insofar as they remain attached to him.          After his death and resurrection, after his ascension into heaven, they spread his Gospel message, and that Gospel gave their lives meaning.  St. Paul writes, “For me life is Christ” (Phil 1:21).  Attached to Christ, they bore the fruit of more disciples for Christ, and the fruit of Christ’s life within themselves.  They spread the Church, which is the body of all who belong to Jesus, all who share in the life he won for us thru his victory over death.  No preacher can pass on this life of Jesus Christ unless he is himself firmly attached to Christ.

You, brothers and sisters, belong to Christ.  You are branches shooting off from him.  You are to bear fruit, too; that’s not just for the 12 apostles and St. Paul, or for priests and sisters.  If you have children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, when you teach them to pray, when you tell them the story of Jesus, when you explain to them the truths of our faith, when you model Christian living to them, you’re bearing fruit.  You may also bear fruit among other people you know, not by explicitly teaching but by showing them, quietly, what it means to belong to Christ.

And how do you remain attached to Christ?  How do you “remain in him so that you may bear much fruit”?  I suggest 3 means.

1st, prayer.  Talk to Jesus and his closest followers—Mary and the saints.  Tell them your concerns, ask them for help, listen to the advice they give to your heart.

2d, Scripture.  Read and reflect on the gospels and Paul’s letters and the stories and psalms of the Old Testament.  God speaks to us thru them, which is why we attend so much to the Scriptures in the liturgy.  Pick up the Bible every day and spend some time with it, which is time with Christ.

3d, the sacraments.  Jesus comes to us and remains with us in the Holy Eucharist.  In fact, the Eucharist is a basic part of his legacy to us:  he told us, “Do this in memory of me.”  He also tells us, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:50).  “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (6:54).  He’s our nourishment for faithful daily living.  And when, inevitably, we fail in our fidelity—we commit sin—he offers us forgiveness and a fresh start and a more vigorous life thru the sacrament of Reconciliation.  This sacrament is a personal meeting with Jesus, an encounter with his love.  It’s a powerful means of remaining on the vine that is Jesus so that the sap of his grace may invigorate us.

God bless you!