FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
(Acts 9:26-31, I John 3:18-24; John 15:1-8)
Jesus is recognized now as in his time as a storyteller. As
we know, his stories are called “parables”, which means comparisons. Jesus
could compare spiritual concepts with everyday things to help people understand
their meaning.
The richest parables like “the Good Samaritan” appear in the
Gospel of Luke. The simplest comparisons to the sower are found in Matthew,
Mark, and Luke. But what about the Gospel of John? Are there parabolas in it?
Yes, there are, but they are expressed differently. Instead
of telling the story of the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep to search
for the lost one, Jesus says in John’s Gospel: “I am the Good Shepherd.” We
have another parable like that in the gospel today. Instead of talking about
the need to bear good fruit as he says in the other gospels, Jesus says in
John: “'I am the vine, you are the branches; He who abides in me and I in him,
that one bears abundant fruit…’”’
It is not that just by staying in Christ that we, his
disciples, produce much fruit. Jesus adds that the branches must be pruned by
the Father. That is, we are formed with the word of God, the Scriptures, so
that our works may be productive. Saint Catherine of Siena, whose feast day is
celebrated tomorrow, can help us here with her profound understanding of the
spiritual life. Although she had to teach herself to read, Catherine knew the
Scriptures well. In her book The Dialogue she prescribes three virtues
derived from the Scriptures with which we are pruned to bear fruit in abundance.
First of all, according to Catherine, the disciples of
Christ have to cultivate sacrificial love or charity. Jesus tells the rich young
man that such love for God and others is the way to eternal life. Catherine,
always inventing parables of her own, compares charity with the life of the
tree. She says that without this life the tree produces not fruit but only
death.
Charity often appears as the patience that suffers without
demanding recriminations. The soul that practices patience is united with
Christ who suffered death on the cross without murmuring against his
persecutors. The First Letter of Peter tells us: “When he was insulted, he did
not return the insult, and while he suffered he did not utter threats; On the
contrary, he entrusted his cause to him who judges rightly” (I Peter 2:23).
How do we cultivate sacrificial love? Catalina expresses the
conviction that humility is the earth around the tree of the soul that
nourishes love. It is the second virtue necessary to produce good fruit.
Humility knows itself as nothing without God and recognizes God for His
superabundant goodness. As Saint Paul writes to the Corinthians: "...we
carry this treasure in earthen vessels, so that it may appear that the
extraordinary greatness of the power is from God, and that it does not come
from us " (II Corinthians 4,7).
It would be difficult to find someone with more humility
than Saint Catherine herself. She often confessed that her sins were enough to
entangle the entire world in injustice. She prayed: “O eternal Father! I accuse
myself before you, asking that you punish my sins in this life. And since I by my sins am the cause of the
sufferings my neighbors must endure, I beg you in mercy to punish me for them.
Discretion, the third virtue necessary to produce abundant
fruit, knows what things are due to God, self, and others. Without this
discretion, God says in The Dialogue – the soul would be lost in pride,
stealing God's honor and giving it to itself. According to Catherine,
discretion indicates that we owe our neighbors a five-part debt: the affection
of charity, humble and continuous mutual prayer, doctrine, the good example of
a holy and honest life, and advice and help to achieve the health of their
soul. At least the first item of the list reminds us of the words to Saint Paul
in the Letter to the Romans: “Do no other debt than mutual love” (Romans 13:8).
Pursuing charity, humility, and discretion is asking a lot
of us. We might ask: why do we want to produce good fruit? The answer comes
from God in The Dialogue: This tree (the soul whose life is charity
nourished with humility and using discretion) "yields the fragrance of
glory and praise to my name, and so it does what I created it for and comes at
last to its goal, to me, everlasting Life, life that cannot be taken away from
you against your will."
