May 26, 2011
Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter
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
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. John 15:4-5
Piety
Father, take from me all that divides me from you and creates dissension in your mission. Jesus, give to me those close moments that propel me to go beyond the human questions of debate. Holy Spirit, give me the fuel of life to carry on the mission and bear much fruit.
Study
The vineyard is a very popular symbol throughout the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Isaiah, Sirach, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea and the Book of Psalms all use the metaphor of the vineyard for our world and the work we must do in it. Matthew, John and Mark all relate parables from Jesus that all utilize the vineyard as the symbolic image of our faith.
Ultimately, Jesus provided to us fruit of the vine as the Blood of Christ that will provide eternal life along with his Body. The point of today’s it seems to me is that we must remain in union with Jesus. It’s not easy. Even branches on the vine sometimes need to be pruned. However, if we cut ourselves off from Jesus, then we cannot thrive.
All this talk about pruning along with the story in the first reading about dissension in the early Church over the question of circumcision and baptizing the Gentiles makes me wonder why the Psalm was chosen for today. “Let us go rejoicing.” I do not imagine there was much rejoicing as the disciples heard the parable of the vineyard in the time leading up to Good Friday execution of their friend Jesus. Nor can I imagine there was much rejoicing as the early church debated some of the most critical theological questions of its day. As Luke tells us in Acts, “[T]here arose no little dissension and debate.” In fact, you can imagine the grumbling that took place.
The rejoicing may not come when we are imposing our human debates upon the Church. Rather, rejoicing comes in when we remain open to encountering our friend Jesus experiencing the gifts of the close moments with Jesus that come to us through others around us.
Action
The church today has no few opportunities where there can arise no little dissension and debate. I don’t have to list them. Fill in the blank with the questions over which you debate issues related to the Church in the modern world. Whether from traditional or progressive perspectives, these debates have continued from the time Acts of the Apostles were written down by Luke until today. Yet it is through the common friendship of those encounters with our mutual friend – Jesus – that we come together in union as his followers to prosper and bear fruit.
Pick one of your issues and set it aside. Pray for unity in Christ that the Church can resolve these issues in order for us to each prosper and bear fruit for Jesus – not to win the debate ourselves.
