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| “The Virgin of the Grapes” by Pierre Mignaro, 1640’s |
(Saint
Joseph the Worker)
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Acts
15:1-6
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.
They were sent on their journey by the Church,
and passed through Phoenicia and Samaria
telling of the conversion of the Gentiles,
and brought great joy to all the brethren.
When they arrived in Jerusalem,
they were welcomed by the Church,
as well as by the Apostles and the presbyters,
and they reported what God had done with them.
But some from the party of the Pharisees who had
become believers
stood up and said, "It is necessary to
circumcise them
and direct them to observe the Mosaic law."
The Apostles and the presbyters met together to
see about this matter.
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Commentary on Acts 15:1-6
In this passage we see the issue being raised –
should the Gentile Christians be required to follow ALL Hebrew Law (as Jesus
and his disciples did)? The practice they are debating today is
circumcision and should the male Gentiles be required to be circumcised?
The disagreement over this question was serious enough to send Paul and
Barnabas back to Jerusalem where we hear the debate continue.
This event helps us understand how teaching in
the early Church was kept consistent. Peter and the Apostles were the
authority. On important questions of the faith they were the ones who
made decisions. Local Presbyters did not.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psallm
122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5
R. (see 1) Let us go rejoicing to the
house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the
LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5
Psalm 122 is a song of thanksgiving centered
upon returning to the Temple in Jerusalem (Mosaic Law required such a trip
three times). The song rejoices in the visit to the holy place, the seat
of King David. The original singers would have been rejoicing at returning to
the one temple. For Christians, the new Jerusalem is the one and only house of
God in his heavenly kingdom, there the Lord sits in judgment.
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Gospel: John
15:1-8
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the
vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not
bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it
bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that
I spoke to you.
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.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a
fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done
for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my
disciples."
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Commentary on Jn 15:1-8
This selection begins the discourse on the vine
and the branches – really a monologue on the union with Jesus. It is still part
of Jesus’ farewell speech. The familiar image of the Vineyard and the Vines is
used which has imagery in common with Isaiah
5:1-7; Matthew
21:33-46 and as a vine at Psalm
80:9-17; Jeremiah
2:21; Ezekiel 15:2; 17:5-10; 19:10; Hosea
10:1. The identification of the vine as the Son of Man in Psalm
80:15 and Wisdom's description of herself as a vine in Sirach
24:17. This monologue becomes a unifying tie that pulls everything
together.
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Reflection:
We reflect today on what is going on with the
Apostles in the first reading from Acts. It is clear from the story that a
major turning point in the Church is coming. While we hear the debate starting
over circumcision, the larger issue is should Christians be required to, in
essence convert to Judaism as a prerequisite to becoming Christian. That is
what the debate is really about. Up to this time the Apostles have been using
the synagogues as a vehicle for proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. Since all of
the Apostles were Jewish, it was a natural thing. Then Paul and Barnabas begin
bringing the gentiles into the community. This is a very tense point in our
history. Which way will the Holy Spirit push the debate?
Of course, we already know the next part of the
story, but it is amazing to watch it unfold and imagine the heated discussions
and the growing pains the Church is going through. When the reforms of Vatican
II were introduced people left the Church in droves because they felt the
Church had betrayed them. The Holy Spirit has never been afraid of making us
uncomfortable by forcing us to lay down a tradition to take up another.
The important message for us to take away from
this part of the story is actually two fold. First, Jesus came for all people
and we, as Church, can never be exclusive or elitist. Now some people may say
that we are unfair, for example, because they claim we reject the homosexual
community because we do not accept the "Life Partner" concept or
allow same sex marriage.
This view is far from the truth. Of all the
Christian denominations, the Catholic Church is most consistent in its
teaching. In order to be living a life free from sin in the view of the Church,
one is either married, or single and chaste. If a couple is married, physical
love is a necessary part of the relationship. If person is single they are
required to be chaste regardless of their sexual orientation. The same rule
applies to all single people. Further, the Church recognizes the
Sacrament of Marriage in its scriptural sense, as Christ instituted it, as a
union between man and woman.
Those who claim the Church discriminates against
the homosexual community are, therefore, wrong. The requirement of
chastity (and celibacy) holds true for all unmarried persons, including
heterosexual partners who choose to cohabitate. The Church looks at that,
apparently socially acceptable relationship and calls it sin. (The Church does
not change its rules because a life style becomes popular or is socially
acceptable.)
Having just used that example, the second point
is we must always look to what Christ intended and not be so in love with our
traditions that we forget the spirit of love the Lord left us. It is noteworthy
to point out that the example used above has been debated through the millennia
and the answer has been consistent. The Holy Spirit is a harsh mistress
sometimes.
So, for today, let us pray that we can walk that
line between the law's letter and spirit faithfully. It is a narrow path and a
difficult on. Thank God we do not walk it alone.
Pax
[2] The picture is “The Virgin of the Grapes” by
Pierre Mignaro, 1640’s
[3]
The
readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm
and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB
and is for private use only.
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