There was a man who was caught in a storm, and his house ended up flooded in water. He climbed onto the roof of his house because he could not escape due to the high waters, and began to pray to God to save him from this trouble. Shortly after, some neighbours approached him with a boat they were escaping in and told him to join them, but he refused because he told them, 'I am praying, and God will surely save me.' A little later, the Rescue team came, but he still insisted that God would save him and did not want to go with them. Finally, even a helicopter came and lowered a rope to lift him, but, despite the rising water, he still insisted that God would surely save him, and he did not accept the help. In the end, the water rose so much that it swept him away and he drowned. When he appeared before God he was somewhat angry, and said to God, "I prayed to you, why didn’t you save me, isn't that what you tell us, that those who pray will receive?" But God, very calmly, told him, "My friend, I sent you the neighbours with the boat and you did not want it, I sent you the Rescue and the helicopter and you did not accept the help, what more could I have done?"
This joke carries a great lesson that aligns with what we heard in the first reading today. First, we notice how human the apostles were, just like us, that they did not immediately believe that Saul, or Paul as he became known later, had truly converted; 'when Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples. But they were all afraid of him, not believing that he had really converted.' When Barnabas then took him to the apostles and gave them an account of everything that had happened and how Saul had seen the Lord, they began to trust him. So the apostles were humans like us and, although they had great faith, they were not naive and gullible. Secondly, when they learned that some Jews were so angry at Saul because he had converted, that they were even seeking to kill him, they did not just say 'God save him' and do nothing, but sent him to Tarsus. It’s important to remember that God gave us brains to use, and it is the exception, not the rule, that He employs miracles to show us His love, usually He uses either our own capabilities or the help of others.
'The Church was at peace...; it was always growing and advancing in the fear of the Lord, and increased in numbers with the help of the Holy Spirit.' Above all, the apostles had a deep conviction that although they were doing their utmost to deliver Jesus, it was not they who were accomplishing and leading the success of their work, but the Holy Spirit; this is true and practical humility.
In today's Gospel, Jesus likens himself to a vine, and tells us: 'Remain in me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.' How can we, like branches of the vine, remain one in the Lord? Through prayer, and above all through Mass and the sacraments. 'Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing.' And what does this Fruit that those who remain in Him produce? Saint John gives us the answer in the second reading today: 'This is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He commanded us.' The fruit that those who are truly in the Lord produce is love. 'Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every one that does bears fruit, He prunes so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.' We should ask ourselves: Am I a branch that is united with Jesus, living by the Eucharist, or a branch that has dried up or been cut off because I have abandoned this Sacrament of life? How much do I believe that the unique fruit that pleases the Lord is true love for one another, thus only showing that He dwells in us and we in Him?
We ask you, Lord, give us your grace to always be the branches that are one in you, and that draw their life from you; let your Word be the tool of the Father that refines us to bear more fruit, and if we ever cut ourselves off from you, grant us, Lord, to realize our mistake, so that with true humility we may seek you again, because only you can give life back to a dried branch. Amen.
コメント