It is so easy to lose focus these days. We are bombarded by messages from marketers and media. Today’s reflection reminds us that in the midst of it all we are called only to nurture Love in our hearts, and trust that all will be well.

April 28, 2024: Fifth Sunday of Easter

Acts 9:26-31

Psalm 22:26-32

1 John 3:18-24

John 15:1-8

To Keep Love in Our Hearts

A reflection by Marianne Seggerman

Three readings—one common theme? Not this week. The first reading and the gospel have something that makes you go, “Yikes!” The second reading and the gospel expound on the theme of the importance of good works. Nothing ties all three together.

The first reading relates an incident in the life of Paul. I think it is more a narrative of historical events rather than a passage with deep symbolic meaning. It’s a great story. Some of the disciples are highly skeptical that Paul, who before his conversion on the road to Damascus, persecuted Christians, now is a convert. Their skepticism is perfectly sensible, considering how threatened they were, but the disciple Barnabus speaks out for him. It’s not the disciples Paul has to look out for—it’s the Hellenists (whoever they are), who are trying to kill him. The passage doesn’t say why: was it because he was no longer persecuting Christians, or because he used to? As I said—yikes. Imagine how different the history of Christianity would be if they had succeeded. The history of the Western world would have been quite different. Anyway, seeing the threat, the other disciples whisk Paul off to the coast—Caesarea is along the Mediterranean and even today takes a few hours on a highway by car from Jerusalem. And from there, they get Paul back to Tarsus in Asia Minor, which is Paul’s hometown, right?

The reading concludes that the new faith grew rapidly in Judea. Those lines got me thinking on something that has puzzled me for a while—why is the Philippines a Catholic country, when other countries in the region practice the Muslim faith or indigenous religions like Shinto or Buddhism? Missionaries? It’s got to be more than that. I think Catholicism takes hold and thrives in nations under occupation. For decades the Philippines was a territory of the United States. The Roman Empire occupied lands from the Near East to Scotland—and even in Rome itself many of the new converts were slaves brought as tribute when the Roman Army conquered one nation after another. Jesus’ message of sanctifying the poor and the hurting resonates in people who cannot claim as their own the land they call home. Conversely, it seems at least to me that Catholicism most often acts in the morally questionable manner when it has too much power for its own good: as in 16th century Spain—or in late 20th century Boston.

The second reading is for us a gentle reminder that Jesus gave only two commandments—to love God and to love each other. It also asserts that what matters to God is not what we say but what we do. Some religions place emphasis on being saved, as if that in and of itself is a ticket to godliness. This passage basically says, “Nope! It’s what you do, especially in the way you treat each other.”

Finally we come to the gospel. Throw the dead branches into the fire? Where in that is the mercy the present Pope emphasizes? For me, this passage is more symbolic than literal. It echoes the second reading in that it suggests that what matters is to have God in our hearts. And if we do that, then we will naturally lead a virtuous and holy life.