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Gospel Reflection – Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Like branches on the vine
Dear friends,
The great news of Christ’s Resurrection and its message being shared with the world does not mean that everything becomes easy and smooth. Just like the Incarnation brought God into our world in a real way—but within all its limitations—the spread of the Easter message also happens in the middle of many challenges.
Until now, when we’ve read the Acts of the Apostles, we’ve mostly seen external problems: bans, persecution, prison, and martyrdom. But today, we see that struggles also exist inside the Church. There are different ways of understanding what the new Christian life should look like. The “incarnation” of the Easter message still faces old habits and traditions that are hard to leave behind.
Some people thought the Good News of Jesus wasn’t enough on its own, and they wanted to keep it inside the narrow limits of Judaism. Paul (who knew Pharisaic tradition very well) and Barnabas strongly opposed this idea.
We might be tempted to look at this situation using modern categories: Paul and Barnabas as the “progressives,” the converted Pharisees as the “conservatives,” and someone like Peter maybe trying to stay in the middle. And we often use these same labels today—especially when talking about Church matters like the election of a new pope. We divide leaders into camps, using more political than spiritual language.
It’s understandable—we live in this world, and it influences us. But it would be a big mistake to stop there. What matters more is something simple that the text tells us:
“The apostles and the elders gathered together.”
They didn’t just meet to argue or push opinions. They gathered to become like branches joined to the vine. It wasn’t only a debate or compromise. They came together to listen to the Word and let the Spirit guide them.
This listening process isn’t always easy. It includes times of pain, like pruning—but when we stay united to the true Vine, Jesus, those moments become part of our growth, and they bear fruit.
Without this desire to stay close to Jesus, the so-called “progressive” side can become just a love of novelty or trends. The “conservative” side can become closed off and unable to shine light. But when both are joined to the vine, they all receive the same life-giving Spirit. Then they can stay faithful to the core of the faith, while also opening up to the world and bringing the Good News of the Risen Christ.
United to the one true Vine, we recognize each other as brothers and sisters, we share our gifts, and we bear fruit—for ourselves and for the whole world.
Warm regards,