Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

FR MICHAEL BIBLICAL IMAGERY

(Fr Michael Boakye Yeboah: Vice Rector of St Gregory Seminary, Kumasi-Ghana)

AN ASSURANCE WITH A WARNING

            The parable of the vine conveys a marvelous sense of assurance: that we are somehow rooted, firmly and enduringly; that our birth does not leave us orphaned, isolated, dependent solely on our fragile selves; that we are merely creatures of an inscrutable Creator who may indeed give us existence and sustain us – for as long as it pleases him; that we do stem from an empowering and fructifying origin out of which we can lead a useful and meaningful existence. Yet the assertion that pervades the entire Gospel is more than this assurance. It is the requirement, based on the assurance, that we persist in our origin: “Remain in me, as I remain in you.” The requirement is so urgent that a threat lies behind it: whoever does not remain will wither away and be pruned off and burned. This takes place in a natural sense, as the parable of the vine and branches shows, but it also takes place in a personal sense, since God the Father himself is concerned for the union between his Son and his branches and members.

            Someone once said: “if you don’t go to heaven don’t blame Jesus.” God through his Son and the accompanying assistance of the Holy Spirit has given us everything one can think of but what seems to be lacking is for us to commit our lives to him. At times for some of us we think that we are the worse of sinners and so no matter the assurance from God we ourselves count ourselves unworthy for his favors and blessings. If one is living with such mentality then (s)he should take clue from the first reading. Paul was among the “worse of sinners.” His notoriety among the Christians was such that even when he got converted many still did not believe and were afraid of him. Their question was ‘how can a notorious persecutor become a branch of the vine.’ The future will demonstrate that Paul’s integration is a complete one permitting him to bear fruit as a branch of the vine (“I have toiled harder than all of them” [1 Cor 15:10]), even though the Church often remains mistrustful of some new converts, as Paul’s departure from Jerusalem and return to his homeland demonstrate. It will fall to the same man, Barnabas, who here introduces Paul to the Apostles, to fetch Paul from Tarsus for their joint apostolate (Acts 11:25).

            Still, fickle men that we are, we keep asking ourselves, “Am I really a branch rooted in the vine?” Which dominates me: trust in God’s grace for me or my well-founded doubts whether I live up to that grace? The second reading answers both sides of the question. Confidence ought to predominate in us, “because we are keeping his commandments”, because we seek to keep them. If, as is possible, “our heart [conscience] accuses us”, it rightfully, indeed necessarily, has recourse to God’s mercy. He, who “is greater than our hearts”, knows everything. Together with Peter, who is crushed by his having denied Christ, we can say, “Lord, you know everything, you know that I love” (John 21:17). Peter also shows us that this presupposes a genuine desire to repent, for otherwise we could not convince ourselves that we are speaking “in the Spirit” that “he gave us”. Please do not look down on yourself, you are part of the vine and Jesus dwells in you; and if Jesus is for us who can be against us?