GROWTH, PROGRESS, AND CONFIDENCE
During this Easter season, we have been re-affirming over and over again
our confidence in the fact that the Resurrection did happen and that Jesus is
truly present and at work in our midst.
There is something
very optimistic about the flavor given to the liturgy this Sunday through the
three readings read at Mass. Their message brings reassurance to one who is
aware of only the destructive forces in the world and focuses only on that;
these are the words that one needs to hear. Certainly it is easy enough to
become aware of those destructive forces. All you need to do is turn on the TV
or pick up a newspaper and you are faced with invitation after invitation to
conclude that the world is largely occupied by criminals and madmen. And in the
face of these, something as fragile as the Christian message doesn't really
seem to have much of a chance.
However, these
three readings speak of growth, of progress, and of confidence in the fact that
progress will happen. The first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles,
gives us a picture of Paul returning to Jerusalem after his conversion. When he
left Jerusalem, he had done so as the leader of persecution. He was himself
perhaps one of the greatest obstacles of his time to the growth of
Christianity. And the reading ends with the note that despite continued
persecutions, the Church continued to make steady progress and enjoyed what
Luke calls "the consolation of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:31).
The Gospel reading
from St. John speaks of the fruitful growth of the branches as long as they
remain connected to the vine. Unfortunately, not all of the branches will be
fruitful. Some will wither and fall off, others will have to be cut off, but
the vine will continue to flourish. The dead branches may make the thing look
bad for a while, but they won't stop its growth. And again John, in the second
reading, assures us that "...if our hearts do not condemn us, we have
confidence in God and receive from Him whatever we ask" (1 Jn. 3:21).
And so the message
is clear. Christ wants us to know, to be assured, that there is a Force at work
in the world far stronger than any obstacle we could set in its path. A Force
that can and will propel the people of God along the path He has chosen for
them. The world can indeed become what God calls it to be. And there is no
doubt as to what that Force is. It is the presence of Jesus Himself. When we
set out to establish the society described in the Scriptural images of the New
Kingdom, we do not do so alone. What we do, we do in the company of the supporting
and renewing presence of our Lord.
The Gospel says
that we will bear fruit only if we are attached to the vine; only if we make it
a point to be open to and accept the presence of Christ. In the second reading
it is much more concrete. We are attached to the vine; we are attuned to the
presence of Jesus through our belief in Him and our love for one another. Both
are necessary. Neither of them alone will bear fruit. Love gives substance,
flesh, and blood to belief, and belief gives purpose and direction to love.
Belief and love;
over and over again in the Scriptures these two virtues are presented as two
sides of the same coin. So much, in fact, are these two a part of one another
that in Christian tradition the two are sort of bound together in one word -
Faith! For a Christian, faith means that one is attached to the Vine. It is not
a virtue that determines only a relationship with God and a way of acting
towards Him. Beyond that, faith is a virtue that determines one's relationship
with and behavior toward other people and towards oneself as well.
Faith gives us a
new insight, a new understanding of the people around us, an insight that very
often contradicts what we see around us simply with the limited sight of our
senses. In faith we see that every human being is created in God's Image and
likeness and that every person ever created is deserving of our acceptance, our
love, and our service.
Our faith also
determines our attitude toward ourselves. If we are truly aware of our
connection to the Vine, aware of Christ's own life within us, then
self-respect, a healthy self-love, is a natural and easy thing. If we can
honestly see and accept ourselves as instruments of Christ's love in the world,
we can be a part of raising the standards of our world.
During this Easter
season, we have been re-affirming over and over again our confidence in the
fact that the Resurrection did happen and that Jesus is truly present and at
work in our midst.