The Gospel Reading for the 6th Sunday of Paschaltide, Cycle B, the Sunday before the Feast of Ascension of the Lord, (John 15:9-17), is the latter half of Jesus’ vine-branches oneness parable (John 15:1-17), as an integral part of Jesus’ farewell discourse at Last Supper (John 14:1-16:33), following his demonstration of the new commandment of love (John 13:34) by his servant leadership of washing his disciples’ feet (John 13:1-20), followed by his prayer (John 17:1-26), before entering in his Passion.
In fact, we have read the first half of the parable
(John 15:1-8) last Sunday (5th Sunday of Paschaltide, Cycle B) and
last Wednesday (Wednesday of the 5th week of Paschaltide). Then we
read the second half on Thursday (John 15:9-11) and Friday (John 15:12-17). So,
for detailed exegetical reflections on John 15:9-17, you may read my articles
on last Thursday and Friday:
Jesus the Love Vine: May All be One in
Christ as He in the Father by Love Thursday of the Fifth Week of Paschaltide
https://masa-nakata.blogspot.com/2021/05/jesus-love-vine-may-all-be-one-in.html
The Vine-Branches Unity, Characterized
with Love, as the Church - Friday of the Fifth Week of Paschaltide
https://masa-nakata.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-vine-branches-unity-characterized.html
So, why do we read this Gospel narrative repeatedly
during this time of the Paschaltide?
To simply put it, it is because this text is so
important in giving meaning and reason to our apostolic life – life upon
Pentecost.
Apostolic life means a Christian life on mission,
being sent by Jesus in the Holy Spirit as he remains in us as we remain in him.
First, Jesus tells us that we are kept alive and
fruitful by remaining in him, as the branches remain in the vine, through his
words, which are also the Holy Spirit and life (John 6:63)(John 15:1-7), this
is for Father’s glorification (John 15:8).
By being the branches remain in Jesus, the true
vine, we receive his words, the Holy Spirit, and life (John 15:7), and we are
fruitful (John 15:4-5).
Now, you can realize that being fruitful branches
means bearing the multifaceted fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23),
and the primary element of the fruit is love (Galatians 5:22). And in the
second half of the parable of the vine-branches oneness (John 15:9-17), which
is today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus expounds on love, in the context of his relation
to us and with the Father.
So, Jesus implicates that remaining in him as the branches
remain in the vine to be fruitful (John 15:4-5) means remaining in his love,
because he loves us as the Father loves him (John 15:9). In this, we can see
the essence of Jesus, as the Son of God, is love, for God is love (1 John 4:7-16).
It is important to remember that love become complete in and among us, meaning,
in the one holy catholic apostolic Church, our assembly (ekklesia)(1 John 4:12,17). And to remain in Jesus’ love, we obey
his commandments, as Jesus remains in the Father’s love by obeying His
commandments (John 15:10).
Jesus wants his love to be complete in us through
us, as we obey his new commandment to love one another as exemplified by him
(John 13:34) through our apostolic life. And, this is to replicate Jesus’
relation to the Father, characterized with love, to us, and to further extend
throughout the world, by loving one another (John 15:12-17). This way, we are
Jesus’ chosen friends (John 15:14-16). Because we are his friends, first, Jesus
has laid down his life for us, as the Good Shepherd as commanded by the Father (John
10:11-18). Namely, Jesus has already exemplified the greatest form of his new
commandment of love as the Good Shepherd, and now calling us to take up this
challenge (John 15:13).
Jesus is the true vine of love, cultivated by the
Father, the vine grower, and we are the branches securely remaining in this
true vine of love, thus, remaining in Jesus’ love. And, now Jesus calls us to extend
his love, which characterizes this vine-branches oneness to the rest of the
world, as empowered by the Holy Spirit upon Pentecost.
In today’s First Reading (Acts 10:25-26, 34-35,
44-48), we can see how Peter obeyed Jesus’ commandments in his apostolic life
on mission, to bear fruit of love, extending the love of Jesus, further beyond the
Jews and to the Gentiles, though Peter at first did not think that the love of
Jesus would be brought to the Gentiles.
Guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter was
led to reach out to Cornelius and his family, Gentiles who revered God.
So, Peter spoke, as he served as a spokesperson of
the Holy Spirit, saying that God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34), as also
echoed by Paul (Romans 2:11), so that the love of Jesus through his Good News
can be extended further beyond the Jews to make disciples of all nations
(Matthew 28:19), as they revere him (Acts 10:35).
In fact, Peter’s preaching to Cornelius and his
family in his house (Acts 10:34-43) served as a medium to bring down the Holy Spirit
from heaven, pouring out on those who were present and listening to Peter, both
Jews and Gentiles, without any partiality (Acts 10:44). As the Holy Spirit
descended upon Cornelius and other Gentiles, they responded in speaking in
tongue and glorifying God (Acts 10:46).
Nothing could stop this, because it was all by the
power of the Holy Spirit, bringing down the gift (Acts 10:45) also to Gentiles
who revere God and ready to receive it.
So, Peter said:
Can
anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy
Spirit even as we have? (Acts 10:47)
And, Cornelius and his family were, therefore, baptized
by the hands of Peter, in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 10:48). By the power
of the Holy Spirit, Peter, has brought “another sheep”(John 10:16) into Jesus’
sheep pen, the Church.
The Holy Spirit can flow anywhere as he wills and no
human will can manipulate the Spirit. So Peter, who was born of the Holy Spirit,
goes on his mission, not by his will but by the power of the Holy Spirit, as
willed by Jesus, to bring the Good News of Jesus. His mission journey could not
be affected by any human will, not even by Peter’s (cf. John 3:8). Therefore,
as directed by God in the Holy Spirit, Peter went beyond the traditional
boundaries between the Jews and the Gentles, reaching out to a Gentile man.
And this Peter’s mission work of reaching out to
Gentiles in the First Reading (Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48) is reflected in the
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4), as God’s victorious saving power is
revealed to all nations and witnessed all the way to all the ends of the earth.
In connection to the Second Reading (1 John 4:7-10), this revelation of God’s victorious
saving power to all the ends of the earth is the revelation of love, love of
Jesus, love of God, in all nations. It is because knowing God means knowing
love, His love, as God is love. So, we love one another, as begotten by God,
demonstrating that we know God. Though love keeps us together with God, it is
God who loved us first.
The Second Reading (1 John 4:7-10) is also why Jesus
wants us to remain in his love as we remain in him, by keeping his commandment
to love one another, as his chosen friends (John 15:9-17). And we are preparing
ourselves, as his chosen friends, to be sent out on our apostolic mission to
bring love of Jesus beyond all boundaries, without partiality or favoritism, to
all the ends of the earth. This cannot be manipulated by anybody and anything,
as long as we remain in Jesus, and he in us, through the Holy Spirit. Jesus in
the Holy Spirit, as another Advocate, be with all always. Therefore, our
apostolic mission of love, God’s victorious saving power, will complete, for it
means love of Jesus be complete in our apostolic Church.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, as remaining in Jesus and in his love, we goes to all nations and to all the ends of the earth, as invincible vectors of God's victorious saving power: love, on missions. As the Father remains in Jesus even he is sent by Him to the earth (John 8:29), Jesus remains with us (Matthew 28:19) and in us (John 15:4-5), even we are sent out by him and eve he departs from the world to the Father in heaven, because love keeps all of us as one (Colossians 3:14; cf. John 17:20-23).
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