Homily for 5th Sunday of Easter

Homily for the
5th Sunday of Easter

Collect
1 John 3: 18-24
April 28, 2024
John 15: 1-8
The Fountains, Tuckahoe*
Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx    

The Resurrection (icon)

We prayed in the collect this morning that God “constantly accomplish the Paschal Mystery within us.”  The paschal mystery is the Easter mystery, the mystery of our Lord Jesus’ passover from death to eternal life.  The mystery is God’s plan for each of us:  that with Christ and thru Christ each of us should pass thru the sufferings of life, thru death and the grave, to resurrection on the Last Day and an eternal life of happiness, friendship, contentment, and joy, all without end, without limit.

We began that long journey with Baptism, when God made us new persons, sisters or brothers of our Lord.  In symbol we died—buried in water—and rose from the water spiritually alive.  Sin was put to death, forgiven and washed away.  We’re reminded of Baptism whenever we use holy water or make the sign of the cross.

Our baptismal cleansing is renewed and reaffirmed whenever our sins are washed away again by repentance, confession of our sins, and absolution from Christ’s priestly minister.

We prayed, further, that God protect us, protect our life in Christ, so that we might flourish, bearing much fruit.  At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke at length about our bearing fruit because of our connection with him, like branches on a grape vine (John 15:1-8).

(Wikimedia Commons)

What kind of fruit does Christ expect us to produce?  St. John’s letter suggests “deeds and truth” (1 John 3:18).  Truth leads us to have confidence in God, who is “greater than our hearts” (3:20) and who saves us thru Christ’s Easter mystery—saves us from our sins, from “whatever our hearts condemn” (3:20).

In truth, God has bestowed on us a measureless dignity.  The Church recently released a teaching document called “Infinite Dignity.”  Every human being has a claim to dignity, for we’re all created in the image of God.  In truth, then, our deeds must show “love for one another just as he commanded us” (3:23).  Truth must be translated into action.  Or, as St. John writes, we must keep God’s commandments; that’s how we remain in him (3:24).

One commandment forbids killing people (except in self-defense).  Would we attack the image of God?  So the Church reminds us over and over that war, abortion, euthanasia (“mercy killing”), and revenge are serious sins, crimes against humanity, crimes against the truth of who we are.

Similarly, racism, discrimination against women or people of a different religion, human trafficking, indifference toward the poor and refugees are offenses against human dignity, against the image of God in individual people.

It it’s true that God created people as male or female—the book of Genesis says so very clearly (1:27)—then our human dignity involves our sexuality, our being female or male.  Contrary to what’s regarded as politically correct, homosexual behavior and transgenderism smack up against God’s revelation, God’s creation, God’s plan for human beings.

People who push a gay agenda twist language—twist truth—by saying it doesn’t matter whom you love.  Of course, we’re commanded to love everyone.  But it’s obvious that we don’t express love for everyone in a sexual manner.  We can love a lot of people deeply, even passionately, without being sexual about it. 

The Creation of Eve (Raphael Coxie)

People who push a trans agenda also twist language—twist truth—e.g., by talking about “gender assigned at birth”—as if gender’s something that comes out of the sorting hat at Hogwarts.  God doesn’t arbitrarily “assign” our maleness or femaleness.  He deliberately creates us individually as women or men, body and soul, whole persons.  After creating us that way, he also redeems us that way, and that’s how we’ll go, eventually, into eternity.

Our deeds have to reflect God’s truth—about our relationship with him, about who we are, about the rest of creation.  This is how we “love one another just as he commanded us” (3:23).  If we remain fastened to the vine who is Jesus Christ, then we’ll have Easter life coursing thru us and will bear the fruit of good deeds, deeds that are true.

* Big chunks removed for this congregation.