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.
***
***
“I no longer call you slaves…but friends.”
Jesus was very particular about his choice of words; each was worth its weight in gold.
So why does he call us friends?
Why not servants? Acquaintances? Buddies?
***
The word “friend” had a very particular meaning.
During Jesus’ time, Roman emperors named a select few, “friends of the emperor.”
These “friends” had unlimited access to him; they could even enter his bedchamber before sunrise. They were closer to him than his servants, his advisors, and his generals.
The king’s friends formed his inner circle; they had access to his heart.
***
This is the friendship Jesus offers us. It’s why he tells us not to be “troubled,” a chapter before. We are his intimate companions.
Simply call upon his name; he will listen, and, in his time, he will act.
***
***
Image credits: (1) St. Mary and St. George Coptic Church, Tallahassee, FLA (2) Chaim Bentorah (3) Victoria Atkinson White: Jesus Calls us to Friendship
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.
***
***
Families can argue about the most ordinary things.
Growing up, my brother and I argued over whose turn it was to sit in the front seat of the car; what we wanted for dinner; whether or not I could wear his clothes; or whether or not his friends could also be mine.
Parents can argue over how to raise their children, where to go on vacation, how much money to spend on a home, how to best communicate, and so on.
What arguments arise in your family?
***
Debate also happens within the Church. Jesus didn’t leave us a “how to” manual for every problem or an answer to every question. Instead, he gives us his Holy Spirit, who leads us to the Truth.
The Acts of the Apostles describes how the early Church discerned answers to significant questions together.
In today’s reading, for example, the question arises: must Gentile converts follow Jewish practices? Or is following Christ alone enough? How exactly is one saved?
The Apostles discerned the answers to their questions in three ways: they prayed together, they fasted, and they broke bread, meaning they celebrating Eucharist.
***
What if we applied the same practices to our own friendships and families?
When conflict arises, pray together – ask for wisdom and humility, fast, then break bread together at Mass. If the first Christians found God working in these ways, certainly the Lord can still do so today.
***
Image credits: (1) Family Drama by Elchicoctriste, (2) Hillsong Church Watch (3) A Family That Prays Together Stays Together, Frost Resources
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.
***
***
Over the last few months, I’ve developed an interest in gardening.
Some of you may have seen me watering the twenty-one trees recently planted on campus. I love watching their progress as the branches reach for the sky and their flowers brightly blossom with pink petals.
***
A basic lesson in gardening is that there are two types of branches – those that bear fruit and those that don’t.
We’ve all seen those withering branches. They’re dark, limp, and slow to die. Yet even as they wither, they demand energy from the vine.
It’s a fascinating truth: withering branches take energy to die.
That’s why a gardener is trained to prune them; withering branches sap energy from the vine without bearing any fruit.
***
In the Gospel, Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit.”
God wants to prune all those withering branches from our lives that sap our time and energy without bearing fruit.
Consider unhealthy habits, destructive relationships, or lingering grudges. Although these “branches” drain our energy, they can be hard to let go of.
We need the Lord to do the pruning.
***
What are the withering branches in my life? Where do I spend time or energy without bearing fruit?
***
May the Lord, the Divine Gardener, prune our hearts, making us happier, healthier people.
***
Image credits: (1) The San Diego Union – Tribune (2) Grow Organic (3) Silver Oak Cellars
