The Tenacity of the Word of God (HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK OF EASTER 10th May 2023

HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK OF EASTER 10th May 2023

Acts 15:1-6; Ps.122; John 15:1-8

The Tenacity of the Word of God

As the early Christian community contended with external oppositions and suffered varying degrees of persecutions, they also had to deal with some internal issues. One of such internal issues is found in today’s first reading: how should the gentile converts be assimilated into the body of Christ. This question had never been attended to because the experience of gentile conversion was a new one. Remember that Peter was accused by the believers of preaching to the gentiles; and he narrated how he had a vision and the events that followed. It became clear that the message of salvation was meant for the gentile world too.

But how were they to be incorporated? There were basically two opposing views. One party opined that gentile converts needed to be circumcised according to the custom of Moses. The other party argued that circumcision was not to be made compulsory for gentile converts. Underneath this argument is the issue of: what was the idea behind the Mosaic custom of circumcision. Circumcision was a covenantal sign, depicting that the circumcised are God’s people. But does that translate into thinking that it is at the point of cutting the foreskin that one becomes God’s? If we say that the uncircumcised are not God’s, then who created them? Having been redeemed by the blood of Christ, should circumcision still matter?

The truth is, the bible is a record of the gradual revelation of God to man, and man’s gradual comprehension of God’s revelation. So, at this post-resurrection time, God has been revealed and is to be understood better than He was in the Old Testament. Today, the society continues to evolve. Modernity is bringing many things to our door steps. Sometimes we are at a fixed as to what is acceptable or not for our Christian Faith. For us to continually interpret current issues with the lenses of the gospel, we will need to dialogue, research (read) and pray to decipher the mind of God concerning such issues. We need to understand the core biblical values and prudently apply them to current situations.

This is exactly what the disciples did in the first reading. First, Paul and Barnabas engaged in a serious dialogue with the men from Judea. When this dialogue could not pull through, they made recourse to the apostles and elders for more dialogue. In the next two days, we shall see how the apostles applied the gospel tenets to this matter and got it resolved.

What do we learn from this? The world is evolving; so do not expect to see the issues of the contemporary time explicitly addressed in the bible. But with sound mind, clarity of purpose, prayers, dialogue and research (read), we can always decipher and apply the mind of God in whatever situation we encounter in our life’s journey. So, the fact that an issue is not overtly addressed in the bible does not mean that we can decide for ourselves its moral value. The Word of God being alive and active; and because it was inspired by God, it will always be able to address the situations of all times. 

OR

Homily for Wednesday of the 5th week of Easter 

Acts 15:1-6. Psalm 122:1-2,3-4ab,4cd-5. John 15:1-8.

We see another problem in the first reading that was almost about to tear the early Christian community apart. We have it that: Some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moes, you can not be saved" (Acts 15:1). Meanwhile, Paul and Barnabas were not in agreement with this decision that the Gentiles in question were circumcised before they can be saved. Instead of engaging in further arguments, they took the matter to the apostles and elders for a way out.

The life of the early Christians is necessary for our age and time. In their lives, we are able to see and understand the long journey of imperfection that the Church had always undergone to date. There will always be people who will be for us and against us. As the saying goes, 'We can not all sleep and face the same place.' It is always good to have a thesis and antithesis in order to end up with a synthesis. No one has the right to judge others. Judgment is for God alone.

Paul and Barnabas took this argument on circumcision to the apostles and the elders. The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. This gathering led to the first ecumenical Council of the Church, known as the Jerusalem Council.

Only God has the right to cut any branch away. As Jesus said in today's Gospel, we are all branches of the true vine who is God. Every branch that bears no fruit, he cuts away, and every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

We can only bear fruit if we are truly rooted in the vine. Cut off from the branch we can not bear fruit. Let us, therefore, always remain connected to Jesus (the Vine) through prayer, reflection on God's word, the sacraments, good deeds, and the like. Anything such as circumcision and other religious practices that will disconnect from Jesus should be abandoned.

May we remain connected with Jesus (the true Vine) and bear fruit that will endure through Christ our Lord. Amen.