5th
Sunday of Easter, Cycle B
Terranuova
Hermitage
May 6,
2012
The
Revelation of the Circle
(Rev.
Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The
Circle
One of our early Christian
writers proposed an interesting image for understanding our relationship with
God and with each other.
He suggests that we imagine a
perfect circle (Use arms to create a
circle.) The center point is exactly the same distance from all points on
the circumference or ring of the circle, say right here at my nose.
So, no matter where you are
on the circumference, you are exactly the same distance from the center. Now make a mark on the circumference and
imagine that this is you.
Then, make a second mark and
imagine that this is someone dear to you – perhaps your mother, father,
husband, wife or best friend. And then
make a third mark and imagine that this is someone whom you dislike or with
whom you have disagreements, politically or religiously.
Now draw a line from each of
these marks or persons to the center.
Explanation of the Circle
The
Christian monk who came up with this image also explains it this way. The
center point of the circle is God. The
circle itself is the world and everyone in it.
Everyone
is on the circumference of the circle.
So God is equally accessible to everyone in the world.
It
is we who need to move closer to God to be fully one with God and, as we do
this, notice a very important point, we also move closer to one another.
Of
course, we can also move away from God.
And, conversely, as we do so, we also move away from each other.
The Vine and the Branches
This image of the circle can help us appreciate Jesus’ image today
where he says: “I am the vine, you are
the branches.” So 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
circumference of the circle. Jesus is in
the same relationship with all of us.
As in the circle, he is equally close to all of us. What we need to do is to “remain” in him, that is, move closely to the center.
In the gospel passage, he uses the word “remain” seven times so it is a very important thing to do.
He says, “Remain in me, as I
remain in you. Just as a branch cannot
bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless
you remain in me.”
1. Remain
So first we need to “remain”
in Jesus. It is something like the person on the circumference or ring of the
circle needing to draw closer to the center, to God.
There are a number of things we can do to “remain” in Jesus.
For example, receiving Holy Communion, as so many of our children
are doing for the first time today on these Sundays of Easter, and as we do every
Sunday.
Praying personally on our own is also a very important way to
“remain.” Whether it is dedicating the day to God, asking God’s help when we
wake up in the morning, thanking him before we go to bed at night, or simply
sitting in God’s presence are all very good ways to “remain.”
They help us “remain” in
Jesus and allow him to “remain” in us
and they are ways to move closer to the center of the circle.
2.
Bear Fruit
A great insight here is that as we “remain” in Jesus, we also begin to “bear fruit,” as the branches on a grapevine do.
The image of the circle helps us to see more clearly what “bearing fruit” really means: we see
ourselves in relation to others, to all of God’s children in the world, moving
closer together as we move to the center.
And in a similar way the branches of a grapevine are all connected
and are all related through the vine.
We are connected to one another through God – in the image of the
circle. So, the “fruit” that Jesus wants us to bear is: respect for one another,
helping those in need, working for peace and reconciliation, building bridges
and seeking common ground among people.
Conclusion
Our “remaining” in
Jesus, like the branches on the vine, or our drawing closer to God as the
center of the circle, draws us closer to one another. It makes us aware of how connected we are.
It moves us to live out of this relationship and, as Jesus says, “By this is my Father glorified, that you
bear much fruit and be my disciples.”
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