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1 Corinthians 15: 1-8

I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the Gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more
than five hundred brothers and sisters at once,
most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the Apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally,
he appeared to me.

The Word of the Lord.

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In our first reading, Paul proclaims what is among the earliest, most complete, professions of our Christian faith, stating that Christ died, was raised, then he appeared to his disciples.

Out of all of Christ’s appearances which Paul mentions, three are particularly interesting.

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First, his appearance to Peter.

Fear turned Peter into a coward the night Christ was arrested. As his Lord was being led off to be crucified, Peter kept his distance, then warmed his hands by a fire while Jesus stood trial. Finally, he denied knowing Jesus three times.

Then Peter runs off and cries his eyes out. 

After his death and resurrection, Jesus appears to Peter to console him, revealing the heart of our Good Shepherd. Jesus teaches Peter – and us – that God isn’t out to punish us; rather, after making our own mistakes, he comes to console us.

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Then his appearance to James.

James, also known as the “brother” of Jesus – likely a cousin – is recorded in Mark’s Gospel as thinking the Lord was “out of his mind” while Jesus was preaching inside someone’s home, a sign the Lord was misunderstood, even by those closest to him (Mark 3:21).

As Jesus later says, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his native place.”

Perhaps the Lord appeared to James to calm his heart – much like Peter’s – bringing the gift of reconciliation to a member of his own family.

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Finally, he appears to Paul.

Paul was one of the leading persecutors of the early Church until the Lord’s appearance transformed his heart, reminding us that no one is beyond the grace of conversion.

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Such is our God: he consoles; reconciles; converts. Amen! Alleluia!

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Image credits: (1) Doubting Thomas, Caravaggio (2) The Resurrection, Van Dyck (3) The Catholic Talks

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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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Parents have a tremendous influence over how their children grow up. 

Some parents are highly affectionate. They affirm their children by word and deed, honoring every accomplishment with praise; ending every phone call with, “I love you”; beginning each day with a hug.

Other parents are somewhere in the middle.

Still, others tend to be more silent. I’ve met some adults who’ve told me that, as a child, they never heard their parent say, “I love you.”

Often, that lack of affirmation leaves children feeling as if love must be earned, as opposed to being freely given.

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In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the early Church is struggling with a similar idea. Is God’s love earned or is it freely given?

There were some Jewish converts to Christianity who believed that Christians still had to honor the Law, following it to a “t,” as if God’s love is earned through obedience.

But Peter and James speak up, saying that God’s love – much like an affirming parent – is freely given. We neither deserve it, nor earn it. It’s simply pure gift.

As Saint Paul says, “the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).

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What is my own image of God the Father like? 

Is he someone to be feared? Or is he my greatest cheerleader, my defender, who delights in me simply for who I am – his child in need of his love?

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Perhaps the prophet Zephaniah says it best: “The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior, who rejoices over you with gladness, and renews you in his love, who sings joyfully because of you” (Zeph. 3:17).

Ponder that for a moment:

God sings joyfully just because of you.

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Image credits: (1) Olive Tree Bible Software (2) Forbes (3) Adobe Stock

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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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Someone once said, “People need to be reminded more than they need to be instructed.”

There are really only a handful of life-lessons that we need to learn in order to be considered good people – and by extension, good Christians. 

For example:

Honesty is the best policy.

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Good manners go a long way.

You don’t always get what you want.

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In today’s Gospel, the Lord reminds us about a Christian truth, which he taught us in last Sunday’s Gospel: 

“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.”

God, the “Father-Farmer” looks for two particular types of branches in our lives, which he prunes in order to make us more and more like Christ.

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First, the withering branches.

Withering branches are easy to spot; they’re the dark and limp ones, slowly dying on the vine. A farmer must prune them, because they demand energy and nutrients from the vine, even while bearing no fruit.

It’s a fascinating truth: withering branches take energy to die.

So, what are examples of withering branches in our own lives? Bad habits, negative emotions, and unhealthy relationships – people or things that drain our energy without doing anything good.

God wants to prune these through prayer and the Sacraments.

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Secondly, there are the budding branches. They’re smaller in comparison to the largest branches. Late in the summer, even these must go so that the biggest branches bear more fruit.

Similarly, there’s no shortage of good ways to spend our time. But sometimes we can get overextended, which is why have to learn the art of saying, “no.”

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What’s the withering branch, or even the budding branch, that God wants to prune in my life?

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May we give God the “Father-farmer” full access to our hearts so that we may bear fruit thirty, sixty, and one-hundred fold.

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Image credits: (1) Lift Worship (2) FINsme’s (3) Family Missions Company