Today’s Gospel reminds me of the joy I saw on the faces of the many young persons – “branches” – who attended last week Saturday’s Catholic Youth Expo 2015 at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya. We should all take note of Archbishop Joseph Harris’ and Winston Garcia’s message that before we go out on mission, we must first have an encounter with Jesus and be ‘formed’ so that we can be true disciples of Christ.
At the beginning of “The Joy of the Gospel”, Pope Francis invited all Christians to “a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting Him encounter them…The joy of the Gospel is only experienced by establishing an intimate relationship, from person to person, with Jesus of Nazareth.”
He says that personal encounter should lead to evangelism and good works.
The parable of the vine and the vineyard very powerfully outlines the relationship we should have with Jesus and His Father (John 15: 1-8) – and the words are spoken by Jesus Himself. Youth Expo was packed with young people from across our nation. Having entered into the Catholic family through Baptism and First Communion, many of those present were preparing for Confirmation. One young man cheerfully informed me that he knows where he is going and is confident that he will get there because he is rooted in Christ.
We all need to remember that Jesus is the true vine and His Father is the vinedresser; we are the branches. We can do nothing without God. He is the source of all life. If we are to “remain” in Christ, we must remember that faith formation is a lifelong process that will involve much “pruning” – to keep us close to our Creator.
Stop spending hours taking ‘selfies’ and gossiping on social media, etc. Let the Holy Spirit constantly “prune” and cleanse us so that we will open our hearts and minds to God’s Word and discern how best we can build God’s Kingdom of truth, justice, love, freedom and peace.
We will bear the 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit (charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control and chastity) if we allow the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, which we received at Baptism, to work in and through us. One way I seek to keep close to the Lord is through the Eucharist, prayer and by reading from the bible daily. Just try it.
Each of us has a critical role to play. On October 24, 2012, Pope Emeritus Benedict reminded us that the world’s “spiritual desert” must be transformed into “fertile soil” by Christians who live their faith to its fullest.
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If we are not to wither and fall away from the vine, if we are to bear plenty fruit, we must keep His Commandments; we must embrace/choose Christian values and shun selfishness, individualism, moral relativism and so on. A key dimension of ongoing faith formation is to remember always that our vocation is to be holy.
We have a duty to empower our youth so that they will grow in faithfulness and make their home in Christ. Only then will they be able to make informed choices and bear much fruit. One of the best ways of empowering youth is to lead by example. You know the saying: “Be careful how you live, as your life may be the only Bible some people will ever read.”
At the CCSJ’s booth at the Youth Expo, we engaged young people in a social justice competition. What was heartwarming was the positive way in which they collaborated with each other to achieve the goal.
We must create a nurturing environment to allow them to flourish. Let us help them to understand what it really means to bear fruit, e.g. – reaching out to the poor/vulnerable and championing their cause;
– promoting the sanctity of life, the dignity of each person, family life and community, the common good, human rights and their corresponding duties/responsibilities, and responsible stewardship of God’s Creation;
– practising the virtue of solidarity;
– promoting distributive/economic justice and restorative justice. The US Bishops’ Salt and Light document rightly states that the “Church’s social mission is an essential measure of every parish community”.
Mission in motion must include a social justice perspective.
Together, we are the Body of Christ here on earth. Let us offer up our youth and young adults to the Lord in prayer and be prepared to act as mentors to them. Let us help them to reject ‘false vines’ and cling fast to Jesus, the true vine. Amen!
