First Reading: Acts 15:1-6
They decided to go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles
and presbyters about this question.
Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
"Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved."
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbyters
about this question.
They were sent on their journey by the Church,
and passed through Phoenicia and Samaria
telling of the conversion of the Gentiles,
and brought great joy to all the brethren.
When they arrived in Jerusalem,
they were welcomed by the Church,
as well as by the Apostles and the presbyters,
and they reported what God had done with them.
But some from the party of the Pharisees who had become believers
stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them
and direct them to observe the Mosaic law."
The Apostles and the presbyters met together to see about this matter.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5
R./ Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. or: Alleluia.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R./ Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. or: Alleluia.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R./ Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. or: Alleluia.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R./ Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. or: Alleluia.
Gospel Reading: John 15:1-8
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.
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 everyone 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."
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,
José M. Vegas, CMFIntroduction
Implanted by baptism in Christ, the true vine, and therefore, by vocation and by our being Christians, we are called to be one in him, however we often fall apart into factions because of our background of land and culture, regiona-lisms and differences of language, social origins and classes, conservatives against progressives. So it was in the early Church: Christians discriminated because of their pagan origins, different parties even among those of Jewish extraction. Are we any better? No wonder that we bear little fruit… Let the Lord prune and purify us and unite us all in Christ as branches on the same vine.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, loving Father,
you have given us your Son, Jesus Christ,
as the true vine of life
and our source of strength.
Help us to live his life
as living branches attached to the vine,
and to bear plenty of fruits
of justice, goodness, and love.
Let our union with him become visible
in our openness to one another
and in our unity as brothers and sisters,
that he may be visibly present among us,
now and for ever.
General Intercessions
– Lord Jesus, keep your Church from dividing and competing factions; make us all deeply one in you, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, let the sick and those who suffer remember that you are one with them, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, let the new wine of your grace flow in us, that it may make us great and strong in love and gentleness, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, loving Father,
you planted your Son among us
as the true life-giving vine.
Let him give himself to us today
as the bread of strength
and pour himself for us
as the unifying, life-giving wine,
that we may live in him
and he in us.
And that we may bear fruits
of unity and love
in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, loving Father,
we thank you for filling us
with the sap of life
from Jesus, our true vine.
May we go on living in union
with him and with one another,
that in the uncertainties of life
we may go on believing, hoping,
and building together a kingdom of love.
And when we grope in the dark in days of trial,
reassure us that you are purifying our faith
and that you are always with us
in people and in your Son,
Christ Jesus, our Lord for ever.
Blessing
Our Lord tells us today: “Remain, live in me, as I remain in you.” Yes, let us stay in his love and do the things of everyday life in union with him and in his strength. And let us take him to our brothers and sisters by our common concern and love. May Almighty God bless you for this, the Father who loves you, the Son who lives in you, and the Holy Spirit who guides you.
