April 29th – 5th Sunday of Easter: Gospel: John 15:1-8

Stay connected…

As with all good vine growers, God cares for His crop, nurturing it, pruning it, giving it all it needs so that it can grow and reach its full potential. We are no doubt the branches. What does it mean to be a branch? Branches must be connected to the vine or they bear no fruit. Even those branches that do bear fruit, they need pruning so that they can grow and bear even more fruit. As we are all too well aware, productivity seems to be the measure of success in the world today, in our education systems, in the workplace, in economics; we are measured by what we produce. Is Jesus really adding on the pressure in this Gospel passage by telling us that he wants to see results or else!?

Perhaps we can read this passage in terms of connectivity. Think of your most intimate friendships and relationships. You don’t measure their weight in terms of produce do you? But you do want to stay connected right? It is this closeness, this intimacy that Jesus calls us to: “abide in me”. Are you connected or disconnected? If the connection is strong, then fruit bearing comes naturally and people will see the Gospel in our lives and in the way we respond to the world. If we are connected, all manner of things are possible for us.

“People see the Gospel in our lives; let them read our lives” Pope Francis

April 22nd 2018 4th Sunday of Easter - Gospel: John 10:11-18

The Good Shepherd

In Jesus’ time, being a shepherd was not a pleasant job. Sheep became easily lost and the shepherd’s job was to guide them back to safety. There were many dangers and the sheep were totally dependent on the shepherd. Shepherds would round up their sheep in the evening and guide them into their pen. But it had no gate so the shepherd would have to lie across the space in case the sheep were attacked in the night. The shepherds literally lay down their lives for their flock. John compares the sacrifice of the shepherd to the ‘hired hand’ who is not really committed to the flock. He does what he has to but flees at the first sign of trouble.

This Good Shepherd Sunday the Gospel describes Jesus as the ‘genuine’ Shepherd who wants a personal relationship with each one of us and who would lay down his life for us. The Gospel emphasises the importance of relationship as the shepherd knows his flock and cares for them. They ‘Follow Him’ and it is not a Facebook or Twitter type of following, rather it is a genuine relationship. Everyone matters to the Good Shepherd, regardless of their situations. We are told “I know my own and my own know me”. We are called today to follow Jesus in a more personal more intimate way. Even when we stray off the path and get lost, it is then especially that the Good Shepherd comes looking for us.

“We think we are feeling from God, but in fact we are running into his arms”. (Meister Eckhart)

Easter Sunday 1, 2, 3 . . . 2018 (Year B)

April 1^st 2018 – Easter Sunday Gospel: John 20:1-9

For as yet they did not understand . . .

Today we celebrate the highpoint of the Christian calendar, Easter. The Gospel tells us that Mary Magdalen is the first witness to the Resurrection. ‘It was still dark . . .’ when Mary went to the tomb but it was also the ‘first day of the week’, a new beginning. We might recall those situations in our lives which seemed so dark, where we felt that there was no light at the end of the tunnel.

Whatever our ‘death’ experiences may be, we revisit them, going to the tomb as usual. And then we realise that something has changed, the stone has rolled away. Let the stone and linen wrappings in this text today represent all that keeps us from being free; all that keeps us captive, emotionally, physically, spiritually, in our broken relationships and struggling communities. However big that stone appears to be our faith in the resurrection of Jesus tells us that this stone can be moved. Think of all the situations in our world which need transformation, the homelessness crisis, the violence on our streets, our own sorrow. The Easter Gospel shows us that these situations can be transformed, even though it is often a painful journey. Once we experience the resurrection we are called to radical change and to share this transformative joy with others.

“Jesus you are with us. Keep us ever mindful of how you are a part of our lives in a deep and profound way. Surprise us with a touch of your love in places where we never thought that we would find you.” (Joyce Rupp)

April 8^th – 2^nd Sunday of Easter: Gospel: John 20:19-31

We do not come through suffering and difficult times unscarred. We are changed by them. Often it brings some sort of growth into our lives and usually it is not a pleasant experience. Today’s Gospel shows us that even in those difficult times, faith can be transformative. Jesus came and stood amongst the disciples even though the doors were firmly closed. The peace that he gives them (Shalom) is a peace of body, of mind and of spirit and it moves the disciples from despair and being ‘lock away’ to ‘rejoicing’. Jesus then asks the disciples to be an unending witness to God’s love. They, and we, must be for others what Jesus has been for them. The Risen Jesus is active in all our lives and in the world around us, but we must be careful not to close ourselves off or let fear take over. It is not easy as we often meet cynicism and doubting. Yet, John tells us that he writes these things so that we may come to believe and have life; reminding us of the importance of the Word of God for our lives. Through the Word we come to know Jesus more deeply and can experience this Peace that he offers us.

“For even if the whole world believed in resurrection, little would change until we began to practice it. We can believe in CPR, but people will remain dead until someone breathes new life into them.” Shane  Claiborne

April 15^th 3^rd Sunday of Easter Gospel: Luke 24:35-48

“You are Witnesses of these things”

Today’s Gospel is one of the resurrection accounts from St. Luke’s Gospel. It begins with the disciples recalling their experience on the road to Emmaus and how they recognised Jesus in the breaking of the bread. The Gospel continues into another account of the Risen Jesus with his disciples. Jesus interrupts the disciple’s story and greets them with “Peace” (Shalom) yet, in this account, they are terrified by this. Jesus shows them his wounds and Luke tells us that they are full of joy, but they still can’t believe it and think it is a ghost. Jesus shows them that he is no ghost as he asks for food and eats fish with them. Jesus then journeys with them back through the scriptures in order to open their minds. He speaks to them compassionately.

Jesus tells the disciples that ‘you are witnesses of these things’. Luke wants to establish an important point, that these disciples are witnesses to the Resurrection, they ate with Jesus after his death and he opened their minds. The Resurrection accounts in the Gospels are not fantasy, they are the actual experiences of Jesus’ disciples. Our Easter faith is based on their testimony. Once Jesus has opened their minds to understand the scriptures he tells them to go out and preach it in His name.  

“Every year the dull and dead in us meets our Easter challenge: to be open to the unexpected, to believe beyond our security, to welcome God in every form, and trust in our own greening.” (Joyce Rupp)