Fifth Sunday of Easter Year B

Fifth Sunday of Easter Year B

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/050612.cfm

Reading 1 Acts 9:26-31

When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples,

but they were all afraid of him,

not believing that he was a disciple.

Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles,

and he reported to them how he had seen the Lord,

and that he had spoken to him,

and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.

He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem,

and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord.

He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,

but they tried to kill him.

And when the brothers learned of this,

they took him down to Caesarea

and sent him on his way to Tarsus.

The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace.

It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,

and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32

R. (26a) I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

or:

R. Alleluia.

I will fulfill my vows before those who fear the LORD.

The lowly shall eat their fill;

they who seek the LORD shall praise him:

"May your hearts live forever!"

R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

or:

R. Alleluia.

All the ends of the earth

shall remember and turn to the LORD;

all the families of the nations

shall bow down before him.

R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

or:

R. Alleluia.

To him alone shall bow down

all who sleep in the earth;

before him shall bend

all who go down into the dust.

R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

or:

R. Alleluia.

And to him my soul shall live;

my descendants shall serve him.

Let the coming generation be told of the LORD

that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born

the justice he has shown.

R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 1 Jn 3:18-24

Children, let us love not in word or speech

but in deed and truth.

Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth

and reassure our hearts before him

in whatever our hearts condemn,

for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.

Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,

we have confidence in God

and receive from him whatever we ask,

because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

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 commandments remain in him, and he in them,

and the way we know that he remains in us

is from the Spirit he gave us.

Gospel Jn 15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples:

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.

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.

You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.

Remain in me, as I remain in you.

Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own

unless it remains on the vine,

so neither can you unless you remain in me.

I am the vine, you are the branches.

Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,

because without me you can do nothing.

Anyone who does not remain in me

will be thrown out like a branch and wither;

people will gather them and throw them into a fire

and they will be burned.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you,

ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.

By this is my Father glorified,

that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

http://dhspriory.org/thomas/CAMark.htm#15

1. And straightway in the morning the Chief Priests held a consultation with the elders and Scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.

2. And Pilate asked Him, “Art thou the King of the Jews?” And He answering said unto him, “Thou sayest it.”

3. And the Chief Priests accused Him of many things: but he answered nothing.

4. And Pilate asked Him again, saying, “Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.”

5. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.

Bede, in Marc., 4, 44: The Jews had a custom of delivering him whom they had condemned to death, bound to the judge. Wherefore after the condemnation of Christ, the Evangelist adds: “And straightway in the morning the Chief Priests held a consultation with the elders and Scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.” But it must be observed, that they did not then first bind Him, but they bound Him on first taking Him in the garden by night, as John declares.

Theophylact: They then gave Jesus up to the Romans, but were themselves given up by God into the hands of the Romans, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled, which say, “Recompense them after the work of their hands.” [Ps 28:5]

It goes on: “And Pilate asked Him, Art thou the King of the Jews?”

Bede: By [p. 310] Pilate’s asking Him about no other accusation, except whether He was King of the Jews, they are convicted of impiety, for they could not even find a false accusation against our Saviour.

It goes on: “And He answering said unto him, Thou sayest.”

He answers in this way so as both to speak the truth, and yet not be open to cavil.

Theophylact: For His answer is doubtful, since it may mean, Thou sayest, but I say not so.

Bede: And observe that He does somewhere answer Pilate, who condemned Him unwillingly, but does not choose to answer the priests and great men, and judges them unworthy of a reply.

It goes on: “And the Chief Priests accused Him of many things.”

Augustine, de. Con. Evan., iii, 8: Luke has also laid open the false charges which they brought against Him; for he thus relates it: “And they began to accuse Him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.” [Luke 23:2]

There follows: “And Pilate asked Him, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.”

Bede: He indeed who condemns Jesus is a heathen, but he refers it to the people of the Jews as the cause.

There follows: “But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.”

He was unwilling to give an answer, lest He should clear Himself of the charge, and be acquitted by the judge, and so the gain resulting from the Cross should be done away.

Theophlyact: But Pilate wondered, because, though He was a teacher of the law, and eloquent, and able by His answer to destroy their accusations, He did not answer any thing, but rather bore their accusations courageously.

6. Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.

7. And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.

8. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.

9. But Pilate answered them, saying, “Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?” [p. 311]

10. For he knew that the Chief Priests had delivered Him for envy.

11. But the Chief Priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.

12. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, “What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?”

13. And they cried out again, “Crucify him!”

14. Then Pilate said unto them, “Why, what evil hath he done?” And they cried out the more exceedingly, “Crucify him!”

15. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged Him, to be crucified.

Bede: Pilate furnished many opportunities for releasing Jesus, in the first place contrasting a robber with the Just One.

Wherefore it is said: “Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.”

Gloss: Which indeed he was accustomed to do, to obtain favour with the people, and above all, on the feast day, when the people of the whole province of the Jews flocked to Jerusalem. And that the wickedness of the Jews might appear the greater, the enormity of the sin of the robber, whom they preferred to Christ, is next described.

Wherefore there follows: “And there was one Barabbas, who lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.”

In which words their wickedness is shewn both from the heinousness of his signal crime, in that he had committed murder, and from the way in which he did it, because he had in doing it raised a sedition and disturbed the city, and also because his crime was notorious, for he was bound with seditious persons.

It goes on: “And the multitude,” when it had come up, “began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.”

Augustine: No one can feel it a difficulty that Matthew is silent as to their asking some one to be released unto them, which Mark here mentions; for it is a thing of no consequence that one should mention a [p. 312] thing which another leaves out.

There follows: “But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the Chief Priests had delivered Him for envy.”

Some one may ask, which were the words of which Pilate made use, those which are related by Matthew, or those which Mark relates; for there seems to be a difference between, “Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?” as Matthew has it; and, “Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?” as is here said. But since they gave to kings the name of Christs, he who said this man or that must have asked whether they wished the King of the Jews to be released unto them, that is, Christ. It makes no difference to the sense that Mark has said nothing of Barabbas, wishing only to mention what belonged to the Lord, since by their answer he sufficiently shewed whom they wished to have released to them.

For there follows: “But the Chief Priests moved the people that he should rather release unto them Barabbas.”

Bede: This demand which the Jews made with such toil to themselves still sticks to them. Because, when the choice was given to them, they chose a robber instead of Christ, a murderer instead of the Saviour, they deservedly lost their salvation and their life, and they subjected themselves to such a degree to robbery and sedition, that they lost their country and their kingdom which they preferred to Christ, and never regained their liberty, body or soul.

Then Pilate gives another opportunity of releasing the Saviour, when there follows, “And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I should do unto the King of the Jews?”

Augustine: It now is clear enough that Mark means by “King of the Jews” what Matthew means by the word, “Christ”; for no kings but those of the Jews were called Christs. For in this place according to Matthew it is said, “What then shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ?” [Matt 27:22]

There follows: “And they cried out again, “Crucify him!”

Theophylact: Now see the wickedness of the Jews, and the moderation of Pilate, though he too was worthy of condemnation for not resisting the people. For they cried out, “Crucify”; he faintly tries to save Jesus from their determined sentence, and again puts a question to them.

Wherefore there follows: “Then Pilate said unto them, “Why, [p. 313] what evil hath he done?” For he wished in this way to find an opportunity for releasing Christ, who was innocent.

Bede: But the Jews giving loose to their madness do not answer the question of the judge. Wherefore it goes on, “And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him!,” that those words of the Prophet Jeremiah might be fulfilled, “Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest, it crieth out against me.” [Jer 12:8]

There follows: “And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged Him, to be crucified.”

Theophylact: He wished indeed to satisfy the people, that is, to do their will, not what was agreeable to justice and to God.

Pseudo-Jerome: Here are two goats; one is the scape goat, that is, one loosed and sent out into the wilderness of hell with the sin of the people; the other is slain, as a lamb, for the sins of those who are forgiven. The Lord’s portion is always slain; the devil’s part, (for he is the master of those men, which is the meaning of Barabbas,) when freed, is cast headlong into hell.

Bede: We must understand that Jesus was scourged by no other than Pilate himself. For John writes: “Pilate took Jesus, and scourged Him,” [John 19:1] which we must suppose that he did, that the Jews might be satisfied with Him pains and insults, and cease from thirsting for His blood.

Reflection:

            If last week Jesus referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd and to us as His sheep, today Fifth Sunday of Easter He refers to Himself as the vine and to us as His branches.  Four things we can straight away point it out here for today’s reflection.

            First, we are one with Jesus as He is one with the Father and with us.  The vine is the branches, the branches are the vine.  Jesus is in us and we are in Christ.  We are baptized and are reborn as sons in the Son.  We are confirmed through the power of the Holy Spirit and are conformed more with the Son as sons of the Father.  We eat His body and drink His blood.  He comes to us, He comes in us.  We are one with our Lord, and so as He was we strive to be so that as He is we wish to be.

            Second, the life of the branches depends entirely on the vine.  The minerals, nutrients and water pass from the vine through the branches.  Jesus is our life: He is the Life, so He tells us Himself.  We depend on Him for He gives us Life, life eternal.  The closer we are to Him the fuller our life is.  We read of Him in the Bible, we listen about Him on the radio, we read of Him on the internet, we listen about Him during homilies.  We strive to know Him more.  We are indeed Christians, followers of Christ.

            Third, the branches which are connected to the vine bear fruit; bear much fruit.  Because of the graces we receive from the Lord we are productive in our lives.  We strive to be good and to follow the Lord but it is clear to us that on our own we can hardly do anything good.  Left to our own devices we fail in our endeavors.  We cannot boast of anything in this world which we can rightly call exclusively our own.

            And fourth, the branches away from the vine wither; the branches separated from the vine wither and die.  Since Jesus gives us life and thanks to Him we bear much fruit, away from him death we have and separated from him we are barren.  We cling to Him and we hold on to Him as a child would to the father and mother and we dare not let go for without Jesus we are withered branches, fit for the fires.