For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Romans 10:4
Today, the Holy Mother Church proclaims from its ambo that we are all saved by Grace, as reflected in St. Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:8-9: ” For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God , not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Glory of God
In the responsorial Psalm, we are called to declare the Glory of God (Psalm 96:3). What is the Glory of God? According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 294, “the glory of God is man fully alive; moreover, man’s life is the vision of God: if God’s revelation through creation has already obtained life for all the beings that dwell on earth, how much more will the Word’s manifestation of the Father obtain life for those who see God?”
How do I declare this Glory? In other words, how can I be fully alive as to fulfill Psalm 96:3 in my life? The Gospel reading today gives us the answer.
Abide In My Love (John 15: 9-11)
In Jesus’s final discourse to his disciples before his passion, he uses the symbol of the vine and its branches to keep them mission-ready. They are already missionaries, just like the Church on earth is by her nature missionary (CCC 850), but how do the disciples continue in that mission to ‘Abide in my Love’?
When I abide in the vine (Jesus), the very proof that I abide in HIM are the fruits that I bear in my life. A sterile Christian is a dead Christian. I am either growing in virtue producing fruits or cut down (Luke 13:8-9): He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”
St. Thiophilic, a saint within the Eastern Orthodox Church, says that the fruit of the Apostles is the Gentiles – the topic of discussion in the first reading (Acts 15:7-21). The Apostles lived Psalm 96:3 by abiding in Jesus and doing what fulfilled our Lord’s command to ‘go into all the world and proclaim the good news’ (Mark 16:15).
How are we able to abide in the love of Jesus? By Faith, which works by love, once there is Faith there is automatically good works as proof that one has Faith. This Love is not self-generated but received from Jesus. Just as Jesus received from the Father, as long as I abide in Jesus, I continue to receive this love. I continue to act in Love (Faith) and continue to bear fruit by following his commandments.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, what a great privilege it is for us to abide in your Love. Just as John rested in your bosom, give us that Faith to be still and rest in your bosom. Help us abide in your Love and even as we abide, may we respond to that grace to produce fruits by proclaiming the Gospel message to our family, friends, and anyone who you may bring across in my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray Amen!
