The 5th Sunday of Easter, situated within the joyous Easter season, emphasizes Christ's ongoing presence and teachings, urging believers to abide in Him and bear fruit through love, thus continuing the celebration of new life in salvation history.
The 5th Sunday of Easter marks a significant point in the liturgical calendar, falling between the initial celebrations of Christ's Resurrection and the upcoming feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost, thereby extending the joyous Easter season. This Sunday's readings typically focus on themes from the Gospel of John, particularly Christ's discourse on abiding in Him as the true vine and His disciples as the branches, emphasizing the necessity of a deep, life-giving union with Him to bear spiritual fruit. In salvation history, this period highlights the continued instruction of the apostles by the risen Lord and the transition from His physical presence to the promise of the Holy Spirit, underscoring the New Covenant's call to live a life of transformative love and unity, which is central to the ongoing work of redemption.
The 5th Sunday of Easter, situated deep within the fifty-day Easter season, serves as a pivotal point in the Church's liturgical journey from the exultant joy of the Resurrection towards the anticipation of Pentecost. This Sunday, like all Sundays of Eastertide, is not merely a remembrance but an ongoing celebration of Christ's triumph over sin and death, a continuous Paschal feast. It acts as a bridge, solidifying the lessons of the Risen Lord's presence among His disciples while preparing the faithful for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The liturgical color remains white, signifying purity, joy, and the glory of the Resurrection, visually reinforcing the festive nature of this extended season. This period, known as Eastertide, is intended to immerse the faithful in the Paschal Mystery, allowing them to fully grasp the transformative power of Christ's death and resurrection in their daily lives.
In the quiet valley where the ancient Monastery of St. Benedict nestled, the monks faced a lean year. Their vineyard, usually a source of abundant grapes for both sustenance and the holy Sacrifice, looked sickly. Its branches, though numerous, bore only sparse, shriveled fruit. Brother Thomas, the gruff but devout monk tasked with its care, sighed deeply as he surveyed the struggling vines. He had tended them for decades, yet this year, despite his toil, the yield was meager, mirroring a certain dryness he felt in his own soul.
As the 5th Sunday of Easter approached, the abbot, Father Anselm, gathered the community for his reflection. His voice, usually gentle, held a profound solemnity as he spoke of the day’s Gospel: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who lives in me and I in him, will produce abundantly, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Father Anselm paused, his gaze sweeping over the monks. “And every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Brother Thomas shifted uncomfortably. Pruning seemed so harsh, so destructive, especially when the vines already seemed so fragile. Yet, the abbot continued, speaking not just of literal vines, but of the spiritual pruning God undertakes in their lives—the trials, the sacrifices, the letting go of attachments, all to deepen their union with Christ and yield richer spiritual fruit.
After the Paschal joy of Easter had begun to settle into the steady rhythm of Eastertide, Father Anselm called Brother Thomas. “My son,” he began, “the vineyard needs a radical pruning. Not just the dead wood, but even healthy-looking branches that consume energy without bearing fruit. It will look desolate for a time, but it is necessary for true abundance.” Brother Thomas hesitated. It felt counter-intuitive, almost cruel, to cut away so much. But remembering the abbot’s words on the True Vine and the necessity of pruning for spiritual growth, he took up his shears with a renewed resolve, albeit a heavy heart.
For days, Brother Thomas worked, sweat beading on his brow as he made difficult cuts. Each snip felt like a sacrifice, a letting go. He imagined Christ, the Divine Vinedresser, working on his own soul, removing the unproductive habits, the self-reliance, the subtle attachments that hindered his spiritual fruitfulness. He prayed with each cut, offering his labor as a silent plea for grace, trusting that this seemingly destructive act was, in fact, an act of profound love, both for the vines and for his own soul.
Months passed, and the valley air grew warm with the promise of summer. Slowly, miraculously, the pruned vines began to respond. New shoots, vibrant and strong, emerged from the seemingly barren stumps. As the days lengthened towards Pentecost, the vineyard transformed. What had once been sparse and sickly now teemed with life, its leaves a deep, healthy green, and clusters of tiny grapes beginning to form, promising a harvest unlike any in recent memory.
Brother Thomas, standing amidst the burgeoning vineyard, felt a profound peace. The physical pruning of the vines had been a tangible lesson in the spiritual pruning of his heart. By allowing the Divine Vinedresser to cut away what was not fruitful, he had opened himself to a deeper abiding in Christ. The abundance of the vineyard became a living testament to the truth of the 5th Sunday of Easter: that through union with the True Vine, and the loving, sometimes painful, process of purification, true and lasting fruit is borne, not just in the fields of the earth, but in the depths of the human soul.
May 6, 2018
In the first reading, we heard about Saul, who becomes Paul. The disciples were afraid of him, because he was a persecutor. But Barnabas took him, introduced him to the Apostles, and explained how the Lord had spoken to him on the road. From this moment, Paul began to preach the name of the Lord. He preached with courage, and the first reading tells us that he debated with the Hellenists, who, as always, sought to kill him. This is the first reading, about Paul’s courage. He was a man who worked for the Lord, who preached the Lord, and who suffered for the Lord. He was able to do so because he was united with the Lord. The Gospel tells us about this union between Jesus and us, between Jesus and His disciples.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
This is a mystery, the mystery of Christian life. Jesus is the vine, the Father is the vinedresser, and we are the branches. We cannot be Christians without Jesus. We cannot be Christians without the Holy Spirit. The first reading tells us that Paul was full of the Holy Spirit. He was a man of the Spirit. He was a man of the Spirit, who was united to the Lord and was courageous. The Holy Spirit makes us courageous. The Holy Spirit is the one who helps us to be united to the Lord. Without Him, we can do nothing. “Apart from me you can do nothing.”
And how does the Father prune the branches? He prunes them by the Cross, by tribulation, by the difficulties of life, by suffering, by sickness, by death. But He prunes them so that they may bear more fruit. He prunes them with love. He does not cut them off, He prunes them. He cleanses them. He purifies them. This is the mystery of the Christian life. We are united to Jesus, and we bear fruit. But sometimes, we need to be pruned, to be purified, to be cleansed. And this is done by the Father, who is the vinedresser.
And what is the fruit? The fruit is love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. This is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. And this fruit is given to us by Jesus, if we abide in Him. If we are united to Him, if we are in communion with Him. This is what Jesus asks of us: to abide in Him. To be united to Him. To be in communion with Him.
And this is also the mission of the Church: to be united to Jesus. To be the vine, and we are the branches. To bear fruit. To bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. To bear the fruit of love, peace, joy. To bear the fruit of charity. To bear the fruit of the Gospel. And this is what the Church does, when it is united to Jesus. When it is in communion with Him. When it is faithful to Him.
And the last thing I want to say about this Gospel is about peace. The Church, the first reading tells us, “was at peace.” And Paul, after his conversion, “was at peace.” The Holy Spirit brings peace. The Holy Spirit brings peace to the heart, peace to the family, peace to the community, peace to the world. The Holy Spirit brings peace. Let us ask the Lord for this peace, for the Church, for our families, for our communities, for the whole world. Let us ask the Lord for this peace, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is the fruit of abiding in Jesus. And may the Lord bless us and give us peace.
Many parishes schedule the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation during Eastertide, including the 5th Sunday, as the season emphasizes new life in Christ and deeper communion, resonating with the Gospel of the True Vine and the call to spiritual fruitfulness.
The Easter season, including the 5th Sunday, is a period of intense focus on the Paschal Mystery, new life in Christ, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, making it a fitting time for the reception of sacraments of initiation. The Gospel themes of abiding in Christ and bearing fruit are particularly relevant to these sacraments.
As the 5th Sunday of Easter frequently falls within the month of May, many Catholic families and parishes engage in special devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary, such as setting up May altars in homes, praying the Rosary, or participating in May crownings of Marian statues.
May is traditionally dedicated as the Month of Mary in the Catholic Church. These Marian devotions, while not exclusive to this specific Sunday, are widely observed during this time, intertwining the joy of Easter with veneration of the Mother of God.
Throughout the Easter season, including the 5th Sunday, homes and churches often maintain festive Easter decorations, such as lilies, white and gold liturgical adornments, and symbols of the Resurrection, to visually extend the joy and glory of Easter.
The entire Easter season is considered one prolonged celebration of the Resurrection. Maintaining decorations helps to visually reinforce this extended festive period and serves as a continuous reminder of Christ's triumph and the new life it brings.
Drawing from the Gospel themes of the 'new commandment' to love one another and abiding in Christ to bear fruit, many parishes organize community events or encourage acts of charity, reinforcing the call to unity and active love among believers.
The liturgical readings for the 5th Sunday of Easter often highlight Christ's command to love one another and the imperative to bear good fruit through communion with Him. This inspires practical applications of charity and fostering community spirit.