Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II)
Readings at Mass
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First reading
Acts 9:26-31
Barnabas explained how the Lord had appeared to Saul on his journey
When Saul got to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him: they could not believe he was really a disciple. Barnabas, however, took charge of him, introduced him to the apostles, and explained how the Lord had appeared to Saul and spoken to him on his journey, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. Saul now started to go round with them in Jerusalem, preaching fearlessly in the name of the Lord. But after he had spoken to the Hellenists, and argued with them, they became determined to kill him. When the brothers knew, they took him to Caesarea, and sent him off from there to Tarsus.
The churches throughout Judaea, Galilee and Samaria were now left in peace, building themselves up, living in the fear of the Lord, and filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
This passage introduces the idea that the Church has expanded beyond Jerusalem, which is a significant development. Paul, after receiving a vision of the Risen Christ, joins the disciples and is baptized in Damascus. He then spends three years in Arabia before eventually making his way to Jerusalem. Paul's debates with the Hellenists, or Greeks, foreshadow his mission to spread the Gospel to those outside of Judaism. His bold proclamation of the gospel message, both in Damascus and Jerusalem, reflects the approach taken by early missionaries. We have already witnessed this fearlessness in Peter's proclamation before the Jewish authorities, and it will continue throughout the Acts of the Apostles, even during Paul's captivity in Rome. So, how can we fearlessly spread the gospel? One way is by standing up for Christian principles in our moral conduct, such as advocating for the protection of life, defending the rights of the poor and marginalized, fearlessly addressing issues of justice, war, and peace, as well as upholding sexual morality. However, it is also crucial that our proclamation is rooted in love and peace.
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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 21(22):26-28,30-32
You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.
or
Alleluia!
My vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.
They shall praise the Lord, those who seek him.
May their hearts live for ever and ever!
You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.
or
Alleluia!
All the earth shall remember and return to the Lord,
all families of the nations worship before him;
They shall worship him, all the mighty of the earth;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust.
You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.
or
Alleluia!
And my soul shall live for him, my children serve him.
They shall tell of the Lord to generations yet to come,
declare his faithfulness to peoples yet unborn:
‘These things the Lord has done.’
You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.
or
Alleluia!
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Second reading
1 John 3:18-24
The commandment of faith and love
My children,
our love is not to be just words or mere talk,
but something real and active;
only by this can we be certain
that we are children of the truth
and be able to quieten our conscience in his presence,
whatever accusations it may raise against us,
because God is greater than our conscience and he knows everything.
My dear people,
if we cannot be condemned by our own conscience,
we need not be afraid in God’s presence,
and whatever we ask him,
we shall receive,
because we keep his commandments
and live the kind of life that he wants.
His commandments are these:
that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ
and that we love one another
as he told us to.
Whoever keeps his commandments
lives in God and God lives in him.
We know that he lives in us
by the Spirit that he has given us.
Commentary
The two primary directives outlined in the letter will shape its entirety. They differ from the traditional two commandments of the Law, as taught by Jesus, which emphasize loving God above all and loving our neighbour as ourselves. The first commandment from God is to have faith in the power and name of the Risen Christ, while the second is to show love towards one another. One could argue that believing in the power of the Risen Christ is a demonstration of love for God, a concept particularly significant during Eastertide. The transformative power of Christ emanates from God's concern for us, and our belief in it should be a loving response that generates love and gratitude. This belief should also instil in us a sense of fearlessness before God, as perfect love drives out fear, given that Christ's resurrection power assures us of God's acceptance of Christ's sacrifice on our behalf. It delivers us from our own sins and transgressions. Furthermore, it instils in us the courage to face a hostile world, echoing the boldness we see in Paul's preaching in the initial reading. Ultimately, this belief should inspire us to fulfil the second commandment, which is to love our neighbours. This faith, leading to love, serves as the litmus test for recognizing the presence of the Spirit within us.
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Gospel Acclamation
Jn15:4,5
Alleluia, alleluia!
Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.
Whoever remains in me bears fruit in plenty.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
John 15:1-8
I am the vine, you are the branches
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I am the true vine,
and my Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in me that bears no fruit
he cuts away,
and every branch that does bear fruit
he prunes to make it bear even more.
You are pruned already,
by means of the word that I have spoken to you.
Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.
As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself,
but must remain part of the vine,
neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine,
you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me, with me in him,
bears fruit in plenty;
for cut off from me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
is like a branch that has been thrown away – he withers;
these branches are collected and thrown on the fire,
and they are burnt.
If you remain in me
and my words remain in you,
you may ask what you will
and you shall get it.
It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit,
and then you will be my disciples.’
Commentary
The vine had long been a beloved symbol of Israel. It was used by Isaiah 5.1-7 to express the LORD’s complaint at the unresponsiveness of Israel. It was used by Ezekiel 15 in his painstaking unpicking of the proud symbols of Israel. It was used by Jesus in the parable of the Wicked Vine-dressers (Mark 12.1-12) to shame the irresponsible current leaders of Israel. Now, in the Last Supper discourse, on the way to Gethsemane, it acquires a new dimension, the pain of pruning. However, the suffering of Jesus is not the principal point here: disciples of Jesus must be prepared to bear the pain of pruning.
The image is a powerful one. To an uninstructed onlooker, the wretched, seemingly lifeless twigs left on the vines appear totally unable to burgeon in a few months into the rich harvest of grapes. The most powerful of all the aspects of the symbol is the sap pulsing through those apparently dead branches. There is all the difference in the world between those docked shoots and the dead twigs scattered on the ground. Investigation into the heresies and divisions, the trials and persecutions symbolised by such pruning is all very well, but adherence to the vine, to Christ himself, alone gives life to the Church.
