5TH
SUNDAY OF EASTER B
YEAR OF THE CLERGY
AND CONSECRATED LIFE
APRIL 29, 2018
Jesus, I trust in you!
The Easter Season celebrates the
Resurrection of our Lord from the dead. Here, we honor Christ, the Lamb who was
slain but now, who lives forever. The risen Jesus is the Lord of life. He is
not just living. He is Life itself.
This is what he means when he
says: “I am the Vine and you are the branches.” He is the source of the life of
all those who are in communion with him. A branch, as long as it is attached to
the vine, is alive. It grows and bears fruit. But a branch that is severed from
the vine is dead. It withers and is thrown into the fire. The Lord said: “Apart
from me you can do nothing.”
And so, each of us must ask
himself: Am I alive or dead? The sign of the death of the body is the cessation
of the lung and heart function (that is, breathing and beating of the heart).
On the other hand, the death of the soul is the cessation of communion with
God. That is why we should ask: Am I attached to the vine or am I severed from
it? St. John Climacus said: “A sure sign of the deadening of the soul is the
avoidance of church services.” It may seem to be too simple for a complicated
matter but it is really true. Father, hindi lang nagsisimba, patay na agad ang
kaluluwa? Hindi ba pwedeng tinatamad lang o busy lang? How is the avoidance of
church services related to the dying of the soul?
The Lord Jesus said: “Remain in
me as I remain in you.” How do we remain in the Lord? We remain in him by
communion in mind, will, and body. Communion of mind means that I believe in
Christ and in his teachings. Faith is the assent of the mind to the revelation
of God. Communion of the will means that I obey the teachings and commandments
of Christ. St. John said in the 2nd reading: “And his commandment is
this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one
another just as he commanded us. Those who keep his commandment remain in him,
and he in them,” Communion of the body means that I receive regularly the
sacraments of Christ which are visible signs of his invisible grace. Sacraments
are related to the body because we cannot perceive what does not pass through
the senses. The Holy Spirit is invisible. Grace is invisible. Therefore, the
coming of grace has to be done through the perceptible or sensible signs of the
sacraments. Through the sacraments, Christ continues to bestow on us the Holy
Spirit. The sacraments help us remain in Christ and in his grace. We receive
these sacraments when we attend church services. This is why by attending
Church services, we continue to receive life from the Lord. Can the mind say
something and the body do the opposite? Can the heart say something and the
body do differently? How can you say, “I believe in Christ and I obey his will”
if my body avoids going to Mass? Surely, the body will do what the mind and the
heart dictate.
The life of Christ in us will
definitely show in the fruits that we bear. Charity, generosity, joy,
gentleness, peace, faithfulness, patience, modesty, kindness, self-control,
goodness, and chastity are the fruits of the Holy Spirit. They are the signs
that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us. They are signs of life of the soul. We
will bear such fruits only if we remain in communion with Christ. It is the
Holy Spirit who keeps us in Christ. It is only in Christ that we can do all
things. Only in Christ are we alive!
Easter
O Mary conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to thee!
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