Fifth Sunday of Easter – May 3, 2015

The Church is essential to our faith. We cannot say, as some do, that we want Jesus but not the Church. In the Creed we affirm our belief in Jesus Christ and also in “one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.” The institutional Church is a key part of our faith, but there is always the danger of just going through the motions and dying on the vine. How can we produce the fruit that will show that Christ’s Church is alive and well? We do not need to be mystics like some of the great saints, but to make sure our practice of the faith, whether it is going to Mass or saying our prayers, is firmly based on a close personal relationship with Jesus. We don’t at first have to do anything but rather to be at peace in His presence, to allow Him to dwell in us. Then we can share a deep communion with Him as we receive His body and blood in the Eucharist. If we change the image from sap, we could say that His real presence in His blood gives us new life. If we do have this close relationship of the branch to the “true vine,” then it will produce good fruits especially in the way we love God and one another.