5 TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (YEAR B)
First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 9:26 - 31
Responsorial Psalm: 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32
Second Reading: 1 John 3:18 - 24
Gospel Reading: John 15:1 - 8
Reflection: Today’s Responsorial Psalm reads: “I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.” It is a prayer of praise. The prayer of praise has a very significant role in the lives of the people of faith. When one has faith on someone or something (but mostly faith in God), that person has the ability to see beyond visible realities. It is the discovery of these realities, which brings this person that power which makes him/her to appreciate and admire the extraordinariness of that person or a thing and especially the mighty works of God. With such appreciation comes praise. In this Easter season, the Church is filled with extraordinary joy not only because of the resurrection of Jesus but also and
mostly from His extraordinary love and mercy to all who believe in Him. For forty days after his resurrection, the Risen Lord of Glory remained in the world to rebuild faith among his disciples who were so much discouraged by his suffering and death on the cross. Also during those forty days, the Risen Jesus laid down the platform on which God the Holy Spirit was to use to comfort us and to remind us of all that which he had taught us during his public ministry. The Risen Lord of Glory is forgiving our sins and inviting us to be children of God. In today’s First Reading, Jesus invites even Saul who was in his way to Damascus to imprison followers of Christ. Saul becomes a new creature altogether. He is turned away from being a person to arrest followers of Jesus into being a faithful follower of Jesus who will use all his abilities to bring more followers to Christ.
John, in today’s Second Reading is inviting us to possess divine love both in word, deed and truth. In today’s Gospel Reading Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.” This is a very powerful image of Jesus. As the vine, Jesus gives life to all the branches connected to him. When Saul (Paul) is connected to Jesus (the vine), Paul receives new life, which makes him to share tirelessly the Gospel of Christ to his sisters and brothers. Saul is connected to the vine; he is well pruned, and he is made an apostle to the nations. God’s powerful work is always in the making. It is in seeing these might works of God that we are able to join the powerful prayer of the psalmist, “I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.” Yes! Amen! Fr. Severine.