The Fifth Gospel

(Fifth Sunday of Easter)

Recently we had a discussion on Discipleship. One of the participants made this interesting comment: “ Disciples are Jesus multiplied”. I thought it was a great statement about discipleship. Christianity is not about a doctrine. It is not about a bunch of principles. It is all about a person, the person of Jesus Christ. The kerigma of the early Church evidently supports this view. All the disciples without any exception proclaimed only one thing: the person of Jesus Christ. It is not the teachings of Jesus but the person of Jesus that saves us. Peter for instance said: “Everyone who believes in Jesus will receive forgiveness of sins through his Name” (Acts 10: 43). Paul said the same in a different way: “Everyone who is in Christ is a new creation”.

This was a clear deviation from the Old Testament understanding of salvation. According to the Hebrew Scripture, salvation was attained through membership in the Chosen Race (Israel). Israel was the Vineyard of God (Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80:9). Later, Israel was identified with vine and Israelites as branches. Israel, however, became a wild vine and lost its credibility (Jeremiah 2:21). Jesus replaced the vine of the Old Testament with Himself (John 15: 1-8). Jesus is the vine that provides the life giving sap. In order to receive life, therefore, one has to be grafted to Jesus. Jesus is the vine and all those who are in Jesus are the branches. It is not enough to be a member of the community for attaining salvation. Community is the communion of people who found salvation in Jesus.

Christian spirituality is measured in terms of one’s intimate union or relationship with the person of Jesus. The challenge is to find ways to remain in Jesus. Naturally a lot of pruning and cutting is necessary. Vine bears two kinds of branches; one that bears fruit and one that does not produce fruits. Vine grower cuts the branches that do not yield fruits so that they will drain away none of the plant’s strength. The same way, our growth in Jesus depends on how we are willing to control the worldly inclinations and tendencies and focus on the inspiration of the Spirit. Ask yourself: What is that I need to stop doing and what is that I need to start doing to develop a personal intimacy with Jesus.

The criterion to evaluate our intimacy with Jesus is our behavior itself. Our behavior is the expression of who we are. Does my life reflect Christ? According to John when we “love one another as Jesus commanded”, then we manifest Christ in our lives (1 John 3:18-24). One branch alone does not make a beautiful tree. Do I allow other braches to grow and bear fruits? (courtesy: Msgr. Jim Loughnane). I remember this experience that happened when I was working in North India. One day, while I was returning home after attending a meeting at the Bishop’s house, I met an old man. It was a very windy night and he was carrying a heavy bag. I felt sorry for him, so I stopped my scooter and asked him, “Where are you going at this hour?” “My train was late, so I missed my bus. My house is about three miles away”, he informed me. “Don’t worry. I will give you a lift”, I offered. “Are you a Christian?” on the way, he asked me. “Yes”, I replied. Further down the road, I asked him, “Why did you ask me such a question?” “Only Christians do this kind of work”, the old man replied.

Everyday we do lots of things. Every word we speak, every action we do, the kinds of friends we have, the way we dress, the kind of entertainment that we choose… everything associated with us reveals our identity. We show our identity through our behavior. By our behavior we tell people that we are disciples of Jesus. What kind of fruits am I bearing?

We cannot produce fruits of the kingdom without remaining in Jesus. Jesus is the source of all that is true and good. Paul was able to evangelize the gentile world because of his affinity with Jesus. Mother Theresa was able to do miraculous job for the poor because of her connectedness with Jesus. Their relationship with Jesus was such that in them ‘message and messenger’ became one. They became true branches. What about us?

Love at its best! (Good Friday)

In 1947, Aug 15, on the first Independence day of India, Gandhi made this appeal to the British: “Leave my country, not as enemies but as friends”. A news reporter asked him: “How could you forgive the British who occupied your country for several years? How could you tell them to leave as friends?” Gandhi replied: “I learned this lesson from Calvary, from Jesus on the cross”.

The death of Jesus made a difference in the world. The death of Jesus touched the hearts of Billions and it opened a new way of living. On this Good Friday let us spend a few minutes reflecting on the transforming power of Jesus’ death on the Cross.

The sacrifice of Jesus showed the world the possibility of transforming an evil situation into a moment of grace and reconciliation. Jesus did not deserve death. It was inflicted upon him by the powers of evil. He could have easily avoided his crucifixion by destroying his enemies. He had the power to do so. He, however, chose a different course of Action. Victory always implies defeat of someone else. And as long as there are defeated people, there is the possibility of revenge. So he chose to forgive and break the chain of hatred. He prayed, “Father, forgive them” Luke (23:34). The result was immediate. The Centurion, who was in charge of his execution, surrendered his weapon and said, “He is really the Son of God” (Mark 15:39). His worst enemy became the first evangelizer.

Jesus was really successful on the cross, especially in his act of forgiveness. There are limited options to get the world back to God and to one another. Surely one is by the act of forgiveness. The modern world takes forgiveness as weakness. The truth is just the opposite. The weakness of forgiveness is more powerful than the strength of pride. Looking at the Crucifix, Archbishop Gudier said: “There is a greater greatness than the greatness of success that is the greatness of failure”. Many of us are living in a hell-like situation, because of our unwillingness to forgive. A little more humility can bring back the lost paradise.

The sacrifice of Jesus made suffering a sacrament of grace, a means of redemption. No one likes suffering. Suffering in itself can be evil. When we accept suffering for a noble purpose, it becomes a sacrifice; it becomes a means of grace. Jesus showed this at Calvary. He accepted suffering and offered it to God for the salvation of the world. Thus His suffering became a source of grace.

Suffering and sacrifice are part of the human experience. A grain of wheat cannot produce fruit unless it falls on the ground and dies. The same way, we can’t achieve anything worthwhile without sacrificing many of our personal comforts and desires. To bring up our children in the right way, parents needs to sacrifice some of their interests. To achieve a good grade in school, students need to give up some of their fun times. All these bring certain amount of suffering. This suffering shapes the quality of our lives. Martin Luther King said: “If a person has nothing worth dying for, he is not fit to live”.

The death of Jesus challenges us to work for justice. The suffering Jesus underwent was not the result of his wrong choices. It was the suffering of the world. It was the suffering of the leper…It was the struggles of the sinners…It was the pain of the outcast…When Jesus reached out to give them a life, he lost his life. There is no doubt that ‘real love suffers and hurts’. When Mother Therese started her work in Calcutta, some Hindu priests went to the police and asked them to stop her on grounds that she was converting the people. The police visited her place, but were touched by her work of charity. They returned to the priests and said: “Yes, we will stop her if you take up the work she is doing”.

And finally, his death reminds us of our sinfulness. Remember the first murder recorded in the Bible: the murder of Abel: God asked Cain: “Cain where is your brother?” He replied: “I don’t know!”(Genesis 4:8ff). Today, we cannot say that we don’t know Jesus. We cannot wash our hands like Pilate. Let us take the responsibility of the death of Jesus and start working for the Kingdom of God.