SUNDAY APRIL 28, 2024
SUNDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER B
Acts 9:26-31
1 John 3:18-24
John 15:1-8
BELONGING AND HOLDING ON TO THE BODY OF CHRIST
Our sense of belonging to a group or a society gives us the impetus to act as well as imposes obligations upon us. Without the sense and aura of belonging, we tend to see ourselves as strangers, fans and mere spectator in the society even in the house of God and in the faith we have received, accepted and supposedly we have assumed as our own.
What sense do you nurse in you as member of this faith community and the church? Do you feel like a visitor, a stranger, or a fan of Jesus in the church? Do you ever think that you have a stake in the salvation of our souls especially when you are in the Church? In order words, are you a participants, an active member in the house of God? Do you feel yourself taking your rightful place in the church and being of service to your brothers and sisters?
In the readings of today, Jesus calls our attention to our belongingness to him and his church. In the gospel, Jesus uses the parable or figure of a tree and its branches. He is the vine and we are the branches. Cut off from him we can do nothing. Jesus likens himself to be the vine. He says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruits, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
We first begin with ourselves as we review how we see ourselves in the house of God. To believe in Jesus is one thing, but to belong to the body of Christ is yet another thing. And the body of Christ gives us the impetus and the obligation of bearing fruits. We grow in our belonging to Christ and his body.
Our first reading calls our attention to what happened after the conversion of Saul or Paul. He did not work alone or in isolation from the other apostles. But he was introduced and accepted into the body of Christ. The scripture tells how at first the faithful were afraid of him until the testimony of others were given before they welcomed him and gave him the opportunity to be numbered and live with them in one body of Christ.
And this body of Christ, the Church when it had accepted Paul, offered him brotherhood, comfort and protection. The body of Christ, the Church is the shield that protects us, feeds us, empowers us, and supports us in our journey and our life in Christ. Without the Church, we are open to attack and we may loose our faith. Just like the coconut, the church is like the hard cover that protects us and keeps us in check.
Jesus equally wants us to understand that we cannot bear fruit unless we remain in him and in the church. The value of the tree or the vine is to draw strength, to be fed, to be sustained and to be protected by the vine. The branches of the vine which we are when it is cut off dies because it cannot get nourishment.
Our main source of survival is when we are joined to the main source, fed, protected and shielded. Then we can bear fruits.
Our belonging to the Church is the same. The church is like a mother which feeds us with the words and the Eucharist. The church supports us in our struggles through life, directs us in the way and shield us in all our temptations as we pray and support ourselves.
Do not assume the position of a fan, or spectator or even an admirer in the Church. Rather be an active, positive, forthright and sincere participant in the Church. See yourself as a member who have a stake and do something, join in prayers and liturgical services, pray and sing with the congregation, be a member of one liturgical group, society or sodality. There are so many things you can participate in and be actively involved. Choose one or more and be relevant in the house of God. By so doing, you will be fruitful, as you work with people
Always have the disposition that you are working for God and working out your salvation. So do not come with a made up mind to gain anything, or to change anything or to upturn anything. Belong to the body of Christ with the sole intention to grow in faith, to serve the Lord Jesus, to be members of his household and delight in it greatly. Your gifts and worth will shine as you work and your growth in the faith will be evident to everyone. Humility and submissiveness is the right disposition.
Remember love is the greatest that guide us in the life with Christ. Let love rule and let love reign above all.
Heavenly Father, we belong to you entirely and to your Church. Give us the right spirit and disposition to contribute our lives, our energy, our resources and our talents in you. May we grow and attain spiritual satisfaction and delight, conquering the limitations in us and being serviceable to our communities through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
