May 2, 2021 Fifth Sunday of Easter
2021년 5월 2일 부활 제5주일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
<어떻게 길에서 주님을 뵙게 되었는지 그들에게 이야기해 주었다.>
사도행전. 9,26-31
그 무렵 26 사울은 예루살렘에 이르러 제자들과 어울리려고 하였지만
모두 그를 두려워하였다.
그가 제자라는 것을 믿을 수가 없었던 것이다.
27 그러나 바르나바는 사울을 받아들여 사도들에게 데려가서,
어떻게 그가 길에서 주님을 뵙게 되었고 주님께서 그에게 말씀하셨는지,
또 어떻게 그가 다마스쿠스에서 예수님의 이름으로 담대히 설교하였는지
그들에게 이야기해 주었다.
28 그리하여 사울은 사도들과 함께 예루살렘을 드나들며
주님의 이름으로 담대히 설교하였다.
29 그리고 그리스계 유다인들과 이야기도 하고 토론도 하였다.
그러나 그들은 사울을 없애 버리려고 벼르고 있었다.
30 형제들은 그것을 알고 그를 카이사리아로 데리고 내려가
다시 타르수스로 보냈다.
31 이제 교회는 유다와 갈릴래아와 사마리아 온 지방에서 평화를 누리며
굳건히 세워지고, 주님을 경외하며 살아가면서
성령의 격려를 받아 그 수가 늘어났다.
제2독서
<믿고 사랑하라는 것이 하느님의 계명입니다.>
요한 1서. 3,18-24
18 자녀 여러분, 말과 혀로 사랑하지 말고 행동으로 진리 안에서 사랑합시다.
19 이로써 우리가 진리에 속해 있음을 알게 되고,
또 그분 앞에서 마음을 편히 가질 수 있을 것입니다.
20 마음이 우리를 단죄하더라도 그렇습니다.
하느님께서는 우리의 마음보다 크시고 또 모든 것을 아시기 때문입니다.
21 사랑하는 여러분, 마음이 우리를 단죄하지 않으면
우리는 하느님 앞에서 확신을 가지게 됩니다.
22 그리고 우리가 청하는 것은 다 그분에게서 받게 됩니다.
우리가 그분의 계명을 지키고 그분 마음에 드는 것을 하기 때문입니다.
23 그분의 계명은 이렇습니다. 그분께서 우리에게 명령하신 대로,
그분의 아드님이신 예수 그리스도의 이름을 믿고
서로 사랑하라는 것입니다.
24 그분의 계명을 지키는 사람은 그분 안에 머무르고,
그분께서도 그 사람 안에 머무르십니다.
그리고 그분께서 우리 안에 머무르신다는 것을
우리는 바로 그분께서 우리에게 주신 성령으로 알고 있습니다.
복음
<내 안에 머무르고 나도 그 안에 머무르는 사람은 많은 열매를 맺는다.>
요한. 15,1-8
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
1 “나는 참포도나무요 나의 아버지는 농부이시다.
2 나에게 붙어 있으면서 열매를 맺지 않는 가지는 아버지께서 다 쳐 내시고,
열매를 맺는 가지는 모두 깨끗이 손질하시어 더 많은 열매를 맺게 하신다.
3 너희는 내가 너희에게 한 말로 이미 깨끗하게 되었다.
4 내 안에 머물러라. 나도 너희 안에 머무르겠다.
가지가 포도나무에 붙어 있지 않으면 스스로 열매를 맺을 수 없는 것처럼,
너희도 내 안에 머무르지 않으면 열매를 맺지 못한다.
5 나는 포도나무요 너희는 가지다.
내 안에 머무르고 나도 그 안에 머무르는 사람은 많은 열매를 맺는다.
너희는 나 없이 아무것도 하지 못한다.
6 내 안에 머무르지 않으면 잘린 가지처럼 밖에 던져져 말라 버린다.
그러면 사람들이 그런 가지들을 모아 불에 던져 태워 버린다.
7 너희가 내 안에 머무르고 내 말이 너희 안에 머무르면,
너희가 원하는 것은 무엇이든지 청하여라. 너희에게 그대로 이루어질 것이다.
8 너희가 많은 열매를 맺고 내 제자가 되면,
그것으로 내 아버지께서 영광스럽게 되실 것이다.”
May 2, 2021
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
Acts 9:26-31
but they were all afraid of him,
not believing that he was a disciple.
Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles,
and he reported to them how he had seen the Lord,
and that he had spoken to him,
and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.
He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem,
and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord.
He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,
but they tried to kill him.
And when the brothers learned of this,
they took him down to Caesarea
and sent him on his way to Tarsus.
The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace.
It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear the LORD.
The lowly shall eat their fill;
they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
“May your hearts live forever!”
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the LORD;
all the families of the nations
shall bow down before him.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
To him alone shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth;
before him shall bend
all who go down into the dust.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
And to him my soul shall live;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2
1 Jn 3:18-24
but in deed and truth.
Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth
and reassure our hearts before him
in whatever our hearts condemn,
for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence in God
and receive from him whatever we ask,
because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
and the way we know that he remains in us
is from the Spirit he gave us.
Alleluia
Jn 15:4a, 5b
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
Jn 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 every one 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.”
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
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 familiar and poignant Gospel reading from John, one of the “I am” statements, highlights the importance of our connection and lifeline to Christ. If we’re disconnected, we wither and die like a dead branch. When we receive our energy from Our Source, we bear fruit and glorify our God.
These days, my youngest child, 18 month old, Diego, illustrates a clear example of this connection of the vine and the branches. His developmental stage represents this deep connection to his parents while having freedom to explore the world. Diego is independent, curious and adventurous as he spends his days exploring, learning and taking risks. He’s celebrating his new accomplishments, learning new skills and surviving the minor injuries that plague toddlerhood.
Diego glows with delight when he finds one of his favorite toys or successfully climbs to a new height (such as a countertop). After each celebration, he automatically turns to share his joy with me (or his dad) with a wide grin, a happy shriek or a celebratory giggle.
He practices how things work, like opening up cabinets, pouring water from one container to another and screwing and unscrewing lids on a jar. While focused on his task, he is careful about confirming (with a quick glance) to check that one of his parents is close by. He seeks companionship to energize his work. He also seeks assistance when a new task is too difficult or something new is frightening.
On his wobbly legs, he sometimes falls when he’s running or misjudges proximity and ends up bumping his head. Naturally, he seeks comfort, safety and empathy from one of us with a loving hug, a rub on his back and some consoling words.
As I imagine little 18 month Diego and his relationship with us, his parents, I am humbled and enlightened at how he represents some insight for me into my relationship with God. Perhaps some of these questions might be helpful for you, too!
- How do I interact with Christ as my companion in navigating this world?
- Are there similarities or connections between my spiritual life and the developmental phase of a toddler?
- How do I rest or remain in God when I am celebrating, navigating or hurting?
- How might I be called to bear fruit in the world where there is hurt, distrust and division?
On another note, with springtime here among us in the United States, it is hard to ignore the new life that surrounds us! There are also beautiful connections with the metaphors of vines, branches, withering and bearing fruit of this Gospel reading. Maybe one of the questions might resonate more with our prayer today:
- How are the fruits of my labor connected to my relationship with Christ?
- Am I resisting some pruning that God is trying to do with me?
- Where might I need to do some pruning in order to strengthen my relationship with Christ?
- How and where can I bear fruit in places of struggle and injustice in our world?
Let’s pray for each other, that we may be branches bearing fruit and glorifying God with our actions, particularly as we work towards healing our hurting world and welcoming our brothers and sisters.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
NUTS ABOUT FRUIT
“My Father has been glorified in your bearing much fruit and becoming My disciples.” —John 15:8
It’s late tonight and I’m tired. In my prayer for this teaching, I’m telling God I want sleep now rather than asking for fruitful words to write so He can be glorified (Jn 15:8). I don’t want to hear about being pruned (Jn 15:2). Does this sound familiar?
The battle over bearing fruit really shows who is lord of our lives, Jesus or us. We can bear any fruit God requires of us, because the energy required to produce the fruit comes unfailingly from Jesus, the Vine (Jn 15:1). Rooted in Jesus, we “will produce abundantly” (Jn 15:5). So it’s not a lack of energy, but either a lack of trust in His provision or a lack of desire to glorify God by staying rooted in Jesus and bearing His fruit (Jn 15:8).
What fruit don’t we want to produce? Is it having more children, increasing our tithing, fasting more, evangelizing door to door, witnessing to co-workers, giving up possessions, pruning our lifestyle, defending life, or going public with our faith? Are we satisfied with producing only our current quota of fruit? God wants to “increase [our] yield” (Jn 15:2), so He’ll be coming soon with the pruning shears.
Questions such as these pierce our hearts and reveal our desires. Do we desire to be pruned because we want so much for God to reap a greater harvest of faith? Or is it our desire to limit or control God’s pruning and intervention in our lives? With Mary, the expert on bearing fruit (see Lk 1:42), let’s answer God: “Be it done to me as You say” (see Lk 1:38).
Prayer: Father, I trust Your pruning far more than I trust the world’s best surgeon to operate on me. Be glorified through me.
Promise: The church “was making steady progress in the fear of the Lord.” —Acts 9:31
Praise: “When Christ our life appears, then you shall appear with Him in glory” (Col 3:4). Jesus, I trust in You!
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
Why does Jesus speak of himself as the true vine? The image of the vine was a rich one for the Jews since the land of Israel was covered with numerous vineyards. It had religious connotations to it as well. Isaiah spoke of the house of Israel as "the vineyard of the Lord"(Isaiah 5:7). Jeremiah said that God had planted Israel "as his choice vine" (Jeremiah 2:21). While the vine became a symbol of Israel as a nation, it also was used in the Scriptures as a sign of degeneration - a deformed state of spiritual growth and moral decline. Isaiah's prophecy spoke of Israel as a vineyard which "yielded wild grapes" (see Isaiah 5:1-7). Jeremiah said that Israel had become a "degenerate and wild vine" (Jeremiah 2:21).
One must be firmly rooted in the "Tree of Life"
When Jesus calls himself the true vine he makes clear that no one can grow in spiritual fruitfulness and moral goodness unless they are rooted in God and in his life-giving word. Religious affiliation or association with spiritually minded people is not sufficient by itself - one must be firmly rooted in the "Tree of Life" (Revelation 22:1-2, Genesis 2:8-9) who is the eternal Father and his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus makes a claim which only God can make - he is the true source of life that sustains us and makes us fruitful in living the abundant life which God has for us. It is only through Jesus Christ that one can be fully grafted into the true "vineyard of the Lord".
Bearing the fruit of righteousness, peace, and joy
Jesus offers true life - the abundant life which comes from God and which results in great fruitfulness. How does the vine become fruitful? The vine dresser must carefully prune the vine before it can bear good fruit. Vines characteristically have two kinds of branches - those which bear fruit and those which don't. The non-bearing branches must be carefully pruned back in order for the vine to conserve its strength for bearing good fruit. Jesus used this image to describe the kind of life he produces in those who are united with him - the fruit of "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Jesus says there can be no fruit in our lives apart from him. The fruit he speaks of here is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23).
There is a simple truth here: We are either fruit-bearing or non-fruit-bearing. There is no in-between. But the bearing of healthy fruit requires drastic pruning. The Lord promises that we will bear much fruit if we abide in him and allow him to purify us. Do you trust in the Lord's healing and transforming power to give you the abundant life and fruit of his heavenly kingdom?
Lord Jesus, may I be one with you in all that I say and do. Draw me close that I may glorify you and bear fruit for your kingdom. Inflame my heart with your love and remove from it anything that would make me ineffective or unfruitful in loving and serving you as my All.
Psalm 22:25-31
25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live for ever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
28 For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
29 Yes, to him shall all the proud of the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and he who cannot keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him; men shall tell of the Lord to the coming generation,
31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, that he has wrought it.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Cleansed by Jesus' word, by Basil the Great, 329-379 A.D.
"So the world - life enslaved by carnal passions - can no more receive the grace of the Spirit than a weak eye can look at the light of a sunbeam. First the Lord cleansed his disciples' lives through his teaching, and then he gave them the ability to both see and contemplate the Spirit. He says, 'You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you' (John 15:3). Therefore 'the world cannot receive him, because it neither sees him nor knows him... You know him, for he dwells with you' (John 14:17). Isaiah says, 'He who settled the earth and the things in it; and gives breath to the people on it, and Spirit to them that tread on it' (Isaiah 42:5). From this we can learn that those who trample earthly things and rise above them become worthy to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (excerpt from ON THE HOLY SPIRIT 22.53)
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