Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: John 15: 12-17

Jesus said to his disciples:
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In his final testament at the Last Supper, Jesus looks at his disciples and says, “I no longer call you slaves, but friends.”

Both words – “slaves” and “friends” – carry significant meaning.

In the Old Testament, to be considered a slave, or servant, of God was considered to be the highest honor. For example, Moses – one of the greatest prophets – is referred to as the servant of the Lord. So is his direct successor, Joshua. 

Even King David, the greatest of Old Testament kings, referred to himself as God’s servant.

Saint Paul uses the same term to introduce himself to the Christians in Rome. “I, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God.”

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And yet, the Lord says to us today, “I no longer call you slaves (or servants), but friends.”

Roman emperors assigned this title, “friend,” to a few select individuals who ranked higher than their servants, advisors, even their generals.

“Friends” of the emperor were granted unlimited access to him. They were even allowed to enter his bedchamber before sunrise, when the emperor was considered to be most vulnerable. They were his trusted inner circle who had unguarded access to his heart.

This is the type of intimacy that Jesus offers us – direct access to God.

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More than Moses, Joshua, even King David, we who call upon the name of the Lord in faith at any hour of the day will be heard, “for whatever you ask in my name,” Jesus says, “I will do it.”

More than servants, we are his friends.

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Image credits: (1) Come and Reason Ministries (2) Marcus Aurelius and the Jews, Aish.com (3) Soaking in God’s Word

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Acts 15: 7-21

After much debate had taken place,
Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters,
“My brothers, you are well aware that from early days
God made his choice among you that through my mouth
the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe.
And God, who knows the heart,
bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit
just as he did us.
He made no distinction between us and them,
for by faith he purified their hearts.
Why, then, are you now putting God to the test
by placing on the shoulders of the disciples
a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?
On the contrary, we believe that we are saved
through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.”
The whole assembly fell silent,
and they listened
while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders
God had worked among the Gentiles through them.

After they had fallen silent, James responded,
“My brothers, listen to me.
Symeon has described how God first concerned himself
with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his name.
The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written:

After this I shall return
and rebuild the fallen hut of David;
from its ruins I shall rebuild it
and raise it up again,
so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord,
even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked.
Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things,
known from of old.

It is my judgment, therefore,
that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God,
but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols,
unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and blood.
For Moses, for generations now,
has had those who proclaim him in every town,
as he has been read in the synagogues every sabbath.”

The Word of the Lord.

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Reading through the Acts of the Apostles reveals the inspiring journey of the early Church. These Christians lived with immense courage and conviction as they faced poverty, persecution, and in some cases, death for their beliefs.

To edify each other, they lived in community, they pooled their resources together, they prayed, and fasted often.

However, life within the early Church was not without conflict. Although there was an abundance of grace at work in their hearts and communities, they were still human. Like us, they wrestled with uncertainty and sin.

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One of the earliest problems the Church faced was that of growth. While the first Christians were Jewish converts, a steady stream of Gentiles started flooding the Church. 

On the surface, that was great news! The Church was growing! But beneath that growth arose the issue of identity. The Jews saw themselves as God’s chosen people. Even Jewish converts carried this conviction in their hearts.

The Gentiles were seen as different, or worse, impure. As a result, some Gentiles complained about being treated like second class citizens. Some of the religious leaders tried resolving the issue by requiring everyone to follow Old Testament rituals. 

But Peter insisted that faith in Christ is enough.

“Why are you placing a yoke on their shoulders that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?” he says. “On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus.”

Although this issue was formally resolved – all were to be treated equally – there remained work to be done in terms of removing a judgmental eye or prejudice from some people’s hearts.

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It remains a challenge for the Church to create a culture of openness, mercy, and welcome as some still debate who is or isn’t “worthy” of welcome, of the Sacraments, or how many hoops one must jump through before being embraced. 

May Peter’s words remind us that in spite of our differences – whatever they may be – we are all equal, beggars before God.  

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Image credits: (1) Was Blind But Now I See, Michael Valliant (2) New Covenant Church (3) Williamsburg Presbyterian Church

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Gospel: John 15: 1-8

Jesus said to his disciples:
“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 everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today’s Gospel offers two simple lessons in the spiritual life:

Bear fruit, and be pruned.

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The first is the easier of the two: bear fruit. 

Do good in the world. Love. Forgive. Be generous, kind, compassionate, merciful. Follow the teachings of Christ.

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The second is more challenging: be pruned.

Most plants have two types of branches – those that are fruitful and those that are withering.

Withering branches are the dark, limp ones. They must be pruned because they sap energy and nutrients from the vine while bearing no fruit. It’s a fascinating truth: withering branches take energy to die.

Perhaps we can find a withering branch or two in our own hearts, which must be nipped: a grudge, anger, jealousy, selfishness, a certain temptation, or an unhealthy relationship. Things that sap our energy without giving life in return.

Christ, the Divine Gardener, wants to prune these through prayer and the Sacraments.

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Occasionally, even fruitful branches must be pruned in order to bear more fruit. Meaning, sometimes we have to give up things that are “good” for things that are “great.”

For example, sometimes we need to trim our social or sports schedules in order to make more time for God. 

We may need to cut back on household expenses in order to give more away. 

We may need to nip our appetites to remind ourselves of our deepest hunger. As Jesus himself said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”

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Bear fruit. Be pruned.

May Jesus, the Divine Gardener, continue working in our hearts today.

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Image credits: (1) Christ and Saint Mary Magdalene at the Tomb, Rembrandt (2) Word of Grace Church (3) fillyourheartgardens.com