5th Sunday of Easter
Cycle B
May 3, 2015 4:00pm
and 5:30pm
Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air
The Circle
So,
is anyone wondering why I have a hula hoop here?
No,
I m not going to demonstrate it, but I will try to explain why I have it
here. You see, a long time ago, about
fifteen hundred years ago, a Christian monk proposed an interesting image for
understanding our relationship with God and with each other.
His
idea is that we imagine a perfect circle, something like this hula hoop. The center point is exactly the same distance
from all points on the circumference of the circle.
In
other words, every point on the ring of the hoop is exactly the same distance
from the center. Now look at a place on
the ring and imagine that this is you.
Then,
look at another place and imagine that this is someone close to you – maybe
your husband or wife or best friend. And
then look at a third place and imagine that this is someone whom you don’t get
along with.
Now
draw a line from each of these marks or persons toward the center. And notice: as each line moves closer to the
center, it also moves closer to all the other lines.
Explanation of the Circle
That Christian monk explains that the center of the
circle is God.
The circle itself is the world and everyone in the
world is on the ring of the circle, or hoop.
So God is equally accessible to everyone.
It is up to us to move as close to God as we
can. And, as we do this, we also move
closer to one another.
The Vine and the Branches
This image helps us to appreciate Jesus’ image of the vine
and the branches.
Jesus is like a grapevine, something like the center of
the circle. We are the branches on that
vine, something like the people on the ring of the circle or hoop.
So Jesus is in the same relationship with all of us. He says that what we need to do is to “remain” in him.
In this gospel passage, Jesus uses the word “remain” eight times. So this must be a pretty important thing.
Remain
So, how do we “remain” in Jesus?
What do we have to do to “remain” in him? I want to suggest two things.
First, receiving Holy Communion,
like these children are doing for the first time and like many of us are doing
again is a way for God to be in us and us to be in God. This is why it is so important to come to
Mass every Sunday.
Jesus, God comes to us visibly
in the consecrated bread and wine, to remain with us. And then we actually consume this as Jesus,
his body and blood, and we do this to remain in him.
And then, some personal prayer
every day of the week is an important way for us to remain in Jesus and Jesus
to remain in us. I recommend a family
prayer of thanks or grace before we eat a meal.
I think some moments of lifting
our mind and heart to God at the beginning of each day are really important. And for us adults, I definitely recommend
reading just a few verses from the gospels every day.
Just read it, pick out a word or
a phrase, and let this be with you throughout the day. This is a wonderful way for Jesus to remain
in us and for us to remain in him.
Conclusion
So, to go back to the image of
the circle or hula hoop, these are ways for us to move closer to the center of
the circle, closer to God or Jesus.
And, as we do this, we will be
coming closer to one another. And then,
as Jesus says, we will be like branches on the vine that produce fruit.
We will be thinking good
thoughts and saying thoughtful words and doing good things for one
another. We will realize how close and
connected we are with each other and even with every other person in the world.
