Surrexit Christus Alleluia!
 

Fifth Sunday of Easter : Reading cycle Year B
† 21st May 2000
Cycle of Prayer: New members of the Church

First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles 9 : 26- 31
In his letter to the church in Galatia, Paul himself recounts his version of this visit to Jerusalem, following his conversion to Christian faith. Having been a keen persecutor of Jesus’ followers, it may not be surprising that they viewed Paul’s arrival among them with some suspicion. The writer of Acts, Luke, attributes the peaceful growth of the churches in Judea, Galilee and Samaria to the fact that Paul is no longer is an enemy, and to the fact that the Holy Spirit is their consolation.

Second Reading from First Letter of John 3 : 18 - 24
The opening words of this text do point us in the right direction: “Our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active.” For John, the two things that really matter are our belief in Jesus as Saviour and Lord, and that “we love one another as he told us to.” Our consciences can live in the presence of God, if we get these two commands right.

Gospel according to John 15 : 1 - 8
If you are any kind of gardener, or work upon the land you can identify with this parable. Hard pruning often results in strong new growth and a plentiful harvest to follow. The plant that fails to respond to feeding and pruning, can frequently land up on the fire as a waste of space. This image of Israel, or the People of God, being the Lord’s vineyard is a common theme in both the Old Testament, and in the New. The question is, do we bear the fruit of the Spirit dwelling in us, does our faith and love shine out, and bring a rich harvest for the Lord of the vineyard? If, not, what should we be doing about it?