The Essentials

The Essentials

May 1, 2013

Wednesday in the Fifth Week of Easter

By Colleen O'Sullivan

Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved.”  Because there arose no little dissension and debate by Paul and Barnabas with them, it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others should go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbyters about this question.   (Acts 15:1-2)

“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.”  (John 15:5)

Piety

O Lord, may I ever dwell in you and you in me, for without you I am nothing, I have nothing and can do nothing.  In you, all things are possible.

Study

At first glance, the reading from the Book of Acts might seem somewhat irrelevant.  No one I know ever gives a moment’s thought to whether or not men need to be circumcised or whether we have to follow other Mosaic practices in order to be considered Christians.  That issue was settled once and for all long ago.  But here’s the bigger question of ultimate importance in every generation: What is rock-bottom essential to being a follower of Christ?  

Jesus answers that for us by using the analogy of a vine and its branches. God plants and tends the vine, which is his Son Jesus.  You and I are the branches.  To be a follower or disciple, it is essential that we be firmly rooted in Christ and that we acknowledge that all we are, all we have and do comes from the Vine.  Love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness flow into us from the Vine.  No resting on our own laurels.  We can’t give ourselves any of these gifts, nor can we sustain ourselves in the long run.  If we aren’t firmly attached to our Source, we soon wither and die.  Yes, we may be good people.  We may do kind things for others.  We may be pillars of our parishes.  But we aren’t true followers, nor can we produce fruits of lasting value unless we are firmly anchored in Jesus.

Action

Every time I forget that I’m a branch attached to the life-giving Vine and start behaving like I’m in control and self-sufficient, something happens to remind me that I’m not really lord of my life.  I begin to wither and dry up.  Everything seems out of kilter.  It’s only when I ask for forgiveness and re-orient myself as a branch securely rooted in the Vine that life seems good again.  What about you?  In what or whom are you rooted?