Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
One In The True Vine Factions In The Church
Liturgical Cycle: A, B, C | Lectionary Cycle: I, II
Introduction
Implanted by baptism in Christ, the true vine, and therefore, by vocation and by our being Christians, we are called to be one in him. We often fall apart into factions because of our backgrounds in land and culture, regionalism and language differences, social origins and classes, and conservatives versus progressives. So it was in the early Church: Christians discriminated because of their pagan origins, and different parties even among those of Jewish extraction. Are we any better? No wonder that we bear little fruit… Let the Lord prune and purify us and unite us all in Christ as branches on the same vine.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, loving Father,
you have given us your Son, Jesus Christ,
as the true vine of life
and our source of strength.
Help us to live his life
as living branches attached to the vine,
and to bear plenty of fruits
of justice, goodness and love.
Let our union with him become visible
in our openness to one another
and in our unity as brothers and sisters,
that he may be visibly present among us,
now and forever.
First Reading
The Council at Jerusalem
Some individuals who had come from Judea to Antioch were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
Because of this, there was trouble, and Paul and Barnabas had heated disputes with them. For Paul told the people to stay as they were when they believed. Finally, those who had come from Jerusalem suggested that Paul, Barnabas, and some others go to Jerusalem to discuss the matter with the apostles and elders.
They were sent on their way by the Church. As they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported how the non-Jews had turned to God, and there was great joy among all the brothers and sisters.
When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, to whom they shared everything God had done through them.
Some believers, however, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees, stood up and said that non-Jewish men must be circumcised and instructed to keep the law of Moses.
So the apostles and elders gathered together to discuss this matter.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord;
whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The True Vine
I am the true vine and my Father is the vine grower.
If any of my branches don’t bear fruit, he breaks it off; and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit.
You have already been cleansed by the word I have spoken to you.
Remain in me as I remain in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you if you don’t remain in me.
I am the vine; you are the branches. As long as you remain in me and I in you, you bear much fruit, because apart from me, you can do nothing.
Whoever does not remain in me is thrown away as they do with branches and they wither. Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire, where they are burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you.
My Father is glorified when you bear much fruit: it is then that you become my disciples.
Prayers of the Faithful
– Lord Jesus, keep your Church from dividing and competing factions; make us all deeply one in you, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, let the sick and those who suffer remember that you are one with them, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, let the new wine of your grace flow in us, that it may make us great and strong in love and gentleness, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, loving Father,
you planted your Son among us
as the true life-giving vine.
Let him give himself to us today
as the bread of strength
and pour himself for us
as the unifying, life-giving wine,
that we may live in him
and he in us.
And that we may bear fruits
of unity and love
in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, loving Father,
we thank you for filling us
with the sap of life
from Jesus, our true vine.
May we go on living in union
with him and with one another,
that in the uncertainties of life
we may go on believing, hoping
and building together a kingdom of love.
And when we grope in the dark in days of trial,
reassure us that you are purifying our faith
and that you are always with us
in people and in your Son,
Christ Jesus, our Lord for ever.
Blessing
Our Lord tells us today: “Remain, live in me, as I remain in you.” Yes, let us stay in his love and do the things of everyday life in union with him and in his strength. And let us take him to our brothers and sisters by our common concern and love. May Almighty God bless you for this, the Father who loves you, the Son who lives in you, and the Holy Spirit who guides you.
REFLECTION:
John 15:1-8
Abide in me.
We begin the reading from chapter 15 of John’s Gospel. It will accompany us until next Monday. The key word in this chapter is: “Remain”. Today the evangelist highlights one of the meanings he gives to this verb: TO ABIDE or to be united to Jesus as branches to the vine.
TO ABIDE in Jesus means to have a deep communion with Jesus. “I am the true vine….” This is yet another of Jesus’ “I am...” statements in the Gospel. His use of the image of the vine was a common image of God in the Jewish tradition. Jesus tailored the image to suit his purposes and added an extension to it: “… my Father is the landholder – the vine-dresser.” Jesus uses the imagery to explain further the Father’s activity and the vine-dresser’s relationship with the branches: he “cuts off” branches that bear no fruit, while those that bear fruit are “cut clean.”
In the foot washing scene [13:10], Jesus had already told the disciples that they were already cleansed – cut clean with the Word that Jesus had spoken. The branch that is connected to life “bears much fruit”, but if separated from the vine, it dries up; it is sterile.
Jesus calls on us to maintain that deep relationship with him - like true friends. The vine is generally not a single branch, but several, and the same sap of the vine nourishes all the branches and keeps them united to the vine and to each other. The united branches express the vitality of the vine. Jesus is the vine, and when we remain united to the Lord and to one another, we express the Church’s vitality. We are in blood-relation! We share the blood of Christ – the life of Christ.
When we allow the Word of God to prune and purify our lives, the Word would teach us to appreciate and value others, accept one another with mercy and understanding. These are the fruits we will bear when we remain united to Jesus. Then we can say like St. Paul: “I live, but not I, it is Christ who lives in me”.
Jesus wants us to focus on our desires to conform to his Word. When we focus on communion, love and life in God, “ask for what you want and it will happen.” Do I maintain that deep relationship with Jesus and with my brothers and sisters that allows me to bear the fruits of love? How do I express my love to those around me?
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John 15:1-8
Bearing the fruits of hope in a fragile world
Jesus tells us, “Remain in me, as I remain in you” (Jn 15:4). Using the image of the vine and branches, He teaches that our life and fruitfulness depend entirely on staying united with Him. Without Him, we dry up; with Him, we flourish. The Father's patient love, like a wise vintner’s care, nourishes us so that we may bear fruits of joy, justice, and hope.
In a world struggling with isolation, environmental decay, and fragile human relationships, Christ invites us on a pilgrimage of hope. Our lives are immersed in the springs of God's love. This divine sap, first given to us at Baptism, must be safeguarded with tender care.
Pope Francis had proposed the following guidelines in our journey as Pilgrims of Hope: He gives four points:
- Remain in prayer, continuously drawing strength from Christ, the True Vine.
- Remain in the Word, allowing the Word of God to influence every decision.
- Remain in love, supporting the marginalised and nurturing our shared environment.
- Remain in community, building bridges where division and loneliness threaten.
To abide in Christ means not to remain stagnant, the Pope explained — it’s a process of growth, progression, and testimony. His presence within us yields a fruit that revitalises the world: not bitter grapes, but the delightful wine of joy, the wine of hope.
The beauty of the Lord’s creation must be protected, and so must the gift of faith. Let us be branches full of life, bringing Gospel fruits wherever we are planted! Remain in Christ — and your life will overflow with the wine of hope the world thirsts for!