Fifth Sunday of Easter Mothers Day
Readings for 5th Sunday of Easter
First Published: Sunday, May 14, 2006
No sour grapes
Homily:
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Jesus uses analogy again for us this week to show us how, without being connected to Him, we will not be able to accomplish the good things that give us the life and peace he wants for us. It is appropriate that we are given this particular analogy on Mothers Day.
Though it is a secular holiday, it is one we believe the Lord would support.
It is pretty close to one of the Churchs celebrations of her mother, Mary. Yesterday we thanked God for the miracle of Our Lady of Fatima.
And the Lord himself would definitely support a day dedicated to love and respect for mothers, whether biological or acting in that, most Christ-like role of care giver and life giver.
He would agree that the love and acceptance our mothers have for us, in spite of our faults and failures, is an example that most closely echoes the Fathers love for all of us.
Jesus, who knew the law in both letter and spirit, better than anyone, would definitely support a day that highlighted the importance of following one of the 10 Commandments; "Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you. (Ex 20 12)
And he who sacrificed his very life for us all would support the gift of appreciation for mothers who have sacrificed so much for their children.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Jesus today gives us an image that can be viewed as our family tree. (This is not another treatise on the virtues of motherhood, although you can see them very clearly in Jesus analogy) I do not know how many of you have had or kept grape vines. I can tell you from experience, they are not easy to tend. The Lord picked a really good image for us. If you cut a branch off a grape vine it withers before your eyes. It needs the nourishment it receives from the vine constantly, just as we need to stay connected to Christ. If we separate ourselves from him through sin, our soul starts to wither. If it stays disconnected, cut off, for too long it can die. We would become just a shell of what God wants us to be (Oh, also very flammable, if you get my drift.).
I am the vine, you are the branches.
The interesting thing about grape vines is if they are allowed to just grow and spread without care they become fruitless. That is, they stop bearing fruit. In order for them to bear fruit they must be disciplined (No, kids, this is not about mothers again.) As Jesus says; You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you We follow the word and do not grow in places he does not want.
We do not grow in hatred of others that way lies death.
We do not seek pleasure for ourselves without regard for others hedonism is like a weed that strangles all that is good.
We do not grow in material wealth and ignore the poor that is idol worship.
We do not grow in disrespect for the life God gave us and all his creation doing so, we disrespect the Lord himself.
Because we have been disciplined ourselves, in Jesus, we can bear much fruit and all the good that comes from it. Given that we are still in the sun light of Jesus, our Lenten discipline, self-punning, has just been completed. Our fruit is the very image of Christs Church that stands as a beacon of hope for the hopeless. Our fruit is the love and respect we show to all Gods creation that allows good to flourish and causes evil to parish. Our fruit can become like the loaves and fishes that fed the 5,000, it can feed the whole world.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
In spite of our best efforts (and in many cases the best efforts of our mothers as well), we find ourselves too far from the vine. We find that we have grown too wild and the result is the fruit we are expected to bear has diminished. This is where the analogy breaks down. We can reconnect! We can reach back to the vine, unlike the biological branch that once cut off immediately dies. We can revitalize ourselves in the spiritual gift that our vine provides. Just as surely as a branch will die if it is cut off from a vine, we will have life and peace and all good things because we are part of that family tree.
I am the vine, you are the branches. Today we celebrate our oneness in Christ and let us not forget to thank the person who, through our life has made that possible Moms, whether you gave us birth or nurturing that brought us here, thank you. Pax
Readings for 5th Sunday of Easter
First Published: Sunday, May 14, 2006
No sour grapes
Homily:
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Jesus uses analogy again for us this week to show us how, without being connected to Him, we will not be able to accomplish the good things that give us the life and peace he wants for us. It is appropriate that we are given this particular analogy on Mothers Day.
Though it is a secular holiday, it is one we believe the Lord would support.
It is pretty close to one of the Churchs celebrations of her mother, Mary. Yesterday we thanked God for the miracle of Our Lady of Fatima.
And the Lord himself would definitely support a day dedicated to love and respect for mothers, whether biological or acting in that, most Christ-like role of care giver and life giver.
He would agree that the love and acceptance our mothers have for us, in spite of our faults and failures, is an example that most closely echoes the Fathers love for all of us.
Jesus, who knew the law in both letter and spirit, better than anyone, would definitely support a day that highlighted the importance of following one of the 10 Commandments; "Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you. (Ex 20 12)
And he who sacrificed his very life for us all would support the gift of appreciation for mothers who have sacrificed so much for their children.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Jesus today gives us an image that can be viewed as our family tree. (This is not another treatise on the virtues of motherhood, although you can see them very clearly in Jesus analogy) I do not know how many of you have had or kept grape vines. I can tell you from experience, they are not easy to tend. The Lord picked a really good image for us. If you cut a branch off a grape vine it withers before your eyes. It needs the nourishment it receives from the vine constantly, just as we need to stay connected to Christ. If we separate ourselves from him through sin, our soul starts to wither. If it stays disconnected, cut off, for too long it can die. We would become just a shell of what God wants us to be (Oh, also very flammable, if you get my drift.).
I am the vine, you are the branches.
The interesting thing about grape vines is if they are allowed to just grow and spread without care they become fruitless. That is, they stop bearing fruit. In order for them to bear fruit they must be disciplined (No, kids, this is not about mothers again.) As Jesus says; You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you We follow the word and do not grow in places he does not want.
We do not grow in hatred of others that way lies death.
We do not seek pleasure for ourselves without regard for others hedonism is like a weed that strangles all that is good.
We do not grow in material wealth and ignore the poor that is idol worship.
We do not grow in disrespect for the life God gave us and all his creation doing so, we disrespect the Lord himself.
Because we have been disciplined ourselves, in Jesus, we can bear much fruit and all the good that comes from it. Given that we are still in the sun light of Jesus, our Lenten discipline, self-punning, has just been completed. Our fruit is the very image of Christs Church that stands as a beacon of hope for the hopeless. Our fruit is the love and respect we show to all Gods creation that allows good to flourish and causes evil to parish. Our fruit can become like the loaves and fishes that fed the 5,000, it can feed the whole world.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
In spite of our best efforts (and in many cases the best efforts of our mothers as well), we find ourselves too far from the vine. We find that we have grown too wild and the result is the fruit we are expected to bear has diminished. This is where the analogy breaks down. We can reconnect! We can reach back to the vine, unlike the biological branch that once cut off immediately dies. We can revitalize ourselves in the spiritual gift that our vine provides. Just as surely as a branch will die if it is cut off from a vine, we will have life and peace and all good things because we are part of that family tree.
I am the vine, you are the branches. Today we celebrate our oneness in Christ and let us not forget to thank the person who, through our life has made that possible Moms, whether you gave us birth or nurturing that brought us here, thank you. Pax
posted by Deacon Jim | 6:12 AM
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