5th Sunday of Easter 2018 - "Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit"

Last Week, Fr. Klasinski shared how some of the most ancient sacred images of Jesus we have, are not of the crucifixion, but of Jesus, as a young, strapping shepherd. These images of Jesus the Good Shepherd are found throughout the catacombs of Rome.

Once we came out from the underground, with the legalization of Christianity in 313 by the Roman Emperor Constantine, we started building beautiful basilicas in honor of the Lord. One such basilica, built over an ancient pagan temple to the roman god Mithras is the basilica of San Clemente—named after the first century Pope, Pope St. Clement I who was martyred around the year 99 during the persecution of the Emperor Trajan and who is mentioned in the first Eucharistic prayer.

I’ll never forget visiting the Basilica of San Clemente, for it contains one of the most beautiful mosaics in the world, and it depicts our Gospel today. I recommend you search the web for an image of this amazing mosaic when you get home; for now you will just have to imagine. At the center of the mosaic is Jesus on the cross, and out of the foot of the cross grows this green leafy vine. “I am the true vine”, Jesus says in the Gospel today.

Above Jesus crucified is a hand, the hand of God the Father, the vine grower, the one who blesses the sacrifice of his son and the growth of the Church, as Jesus says “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.”

Now picture, growing out of the foot of the cross is this multitude of curling branches, filling this whole mosaic. And in the midst of all these undulating, curling branches, are birds and deer and fruit and flowers, poor peasants, pious religious, and Doctors of the Church. And these represent us, the rich diversity of the Church. As Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.”

Now picture on the branches closest to Jesus on the cross are his blessed mother on one side and the beloved disciple St. John on the other, with his head inclined toward Jesus, like he did at the last supper. Mary and John are for us two great examples of how to remain close to Jesus, as he teaches us “Remain in me, as I remain in you.” We are each to follow the example of the Blessed Mother, imitating her humility and her courage. And we are to follow the example of St. John who inclines his ear to the heart of Jesus. To remain with Jesus we, like Mary and St. John, need to follow Jesus to the cross, meditate upon his sufferings, and love Him with the heart of a mother and the heart of an apostle.

Now picture, on the wood of the cross, surrounding Jesus’ body are twelve white doves. The dove makes us think of the holy spirit, and the number 12 makes us think of the 12 apostles. So these white doves are the apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, ready to fly around the world to spread the peace of the Gospel. They also symbolize the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, patience, kindness, gentleness, modesty, chastity, self-control, and the like. These fruits are to be evident in the life of the Church, for as the Lord teaches: “Whoever remains in me, and I in him will bear much fruit.” Only when we remain connected to Jesus will we be as patient as we need to be, as gentle and kind and courageous as God made us to be.

I’ll post an image of this mosaic on my blog and facebook page, along with a copy of this homily, as I do every week. So you can see for yourselves this tremendous image. And you’ll notice all those branches growing from the cross are not growing in a haphazard, random way. They fit perfectly together, in an orderly fashion, as if they have been pruned and cared for by the vine grower. As the Lord teaches, “He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”

The Father prunes us. The Father seeks to remove all those attitudes and behaviors which are unbecoming of His children, for He wants those spiritual fruits to flourish in our lives. So often, we resist spiritual growth by speaking violent resentful words instead of forgiving upbuilding words, by letting others do the hard work of the Church instead of taking it up ourselves, by giving into temptations of the flesh instead of the deep urgings of the spirit. So, through the trials, challenges, and, yes, the suffering of our life, the Father prunes us, to teach us, to humble us, to help us sever our unhealthy relationships and behaviors, so that we can bear healthy spiritual fruit.

In the mosaic there are no dead branches, just as Jesus says, those that do not bear good fruit “will be thrown”, gathered, thrown into a fire, and burned.  Jesus here speaks quite apocalyptically, speaking of the eternal consequences for those who do not remain in communion with Him through lives of faith, hope, and love.

Thanks be to God, that if and when we have severed ourselves from God through serious sin, through mortal sin, we can be grafted back upon the vine through the Sacrament of Confession. For as the Catechism teaches, “The whole power of the sacrament of Penance consists in restoring us to God's grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship.”

So, as you’ve been imagining this mosaic from San Clemente, imagine now the moment in the Mass, where you come forward to receive Holy Communion. Imagine from this altar, vines curling out to you, to bring spiritual nourishment and God’s very life. The life that flows from the self-giving of Jesus on the cross is to flow into your life so that your life might bear the same fruit that Jesus’ life bore.

But that vine isn’t detached as you leave Mass, let it not be severed as you walk out of Church. You are to remain connected to the altar, to the cross, to the Lord, in your family interactions, your business relationships, your political associations, your treatment of strangers, your sensitivity to the needs of the poor.

The final detail from the mosaic is the type of vine the artist chose to depict. He chose to use the ancient symbol of the acanthus plant. From Greek antiquity, the acanthus has been used for medicinal purposes. So, too the Christian in the world, united to Christ through prayer and through the Sacraments, is to have a medicinal effect in the world. We are to bring healing to broken relationships, peace to violent conflicts, purification to corrupt governments, cleansing of perverted cultural norms.

“By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples." Throughout the eek may you remain to the Lord, bear fruit for the Lord, bring healing to the world for the Lord, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Before the Creed I would like to share with you some news. This week, I received a letter from Bishop Perez.  After four years here at St. Clare, my assignment has come to an end. And so on the 12th of June, I will be the new parochial vicar of Holy Family Parish in Parma, Ohio. I have treasured my time here at St. Clare, but  "we must go where we are sent" by God...and the Bishop. I’m so glad I was sent here to St. Clare, but the bishop, also like the good vine grower, tends the vine, and sends me back to the west side.

But listen to the beautiful words of the Bishop from my appointment letter from Bishop Perez describing the work of the Parochial vicar: "Continually fortified by the grace of ordination, you have the task and the privilege of reverently leading the faithful in prayer, especially in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. You are empowered by God's call and by his grace to know and love the people you serve, to care for the poor and needy, to teach the youth, and to attend the sick and dying with the compassion of Christ."

So, please pray for me, that I may be faithful in this new ministerial assignment. Fr. Klasinksi will share news about your new parochial vicar after communion today. So if you are in the habit of immediately leaving Mass after receiving Holy Communion…shame on you…you should stay and finish mass anyway, but today you’ll hear some news affecting your parish.