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| Most
of us have a natural aversion to spiders. Rather than marvel at a
delicately woven web in the corner of a room, we cannot wait to destroy
it. The spider dangling from the ceiling does not evoke amazement in us
at his feat, he disgusts us or even causes fear. But spiders have a
lesson for us. |
| The
spider moves through life with complete confidence. He has within
himself all that is necessary. If he wants to get from the ceiling to
the floor, he only needs to reach inside himself. The more he gives of
himself, the further he is able to progress. Destroy a web today, and
you may find it rebuilt tomorrow. |
| That
is the lesson the apostles had to learn after Jesus had left them. They
no longer had the luxury of Jesus’ physical presence; He was no longer
there to solve their problems, or to tell them what to do. He wasn’t
there to preach, to teach, to heal. They had to learn to reach inside
themselves as individuals, and as a community. |
| Things
have not changed. Christ does not walk in our towns or our cities. He
no longer heals or works miracles in person; He is no longer physically
present. But we are. |
| If
we want to be His disciples, we must reach inside ourselves and do as
He did: preach, teach, and work miracles. We must raise the dead, give
sight to the blind, and open the ears of the deaf. |
| When
you take the time to explain something to anyone who does not
understand something, helping someone who is struggling with a problem,
helping them to find a solution, isn’t that just a little bit like
opening the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf? To a great
extent we have to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world. |
| If
the words of Christ are to be spoken, it is through our mouths. If the
wounds of the world are touched, it is through our hands. If the horrors
of the earth are responded to, it is because we have seen them with our
eyes and heard them with our ears. |
| As
the spider starts his web, he makes sure that it is attached to
something solid, something that will last and that will support him.
This is Jesus’ point in today’s Gospel: I am the vine, you are the
branches. Apart from Me you can do nothing. |
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vine itself does everything for the branches. Apart from the vine, the
branches are empty sticks, withering and lifeless, but on the vine the
branches are vibrant and living, filled with fruitfulness and
usefulness. And when those branches flourish, what a difference it can
make to our world. They give of themselves, for the branch cannot bear
fruit by itself, it needs the vine to nourish and strengthen it. |
| We
are all different branches attached to the same vine. We make up the
Christian community and our Christian faith is always communal, never
isolationist. If Christianity does not begin with the individual, it
does not begin: but if it ends with the individual, it ends. |
| That
is why we come together every week. Only by gathering together do we
become the church of Jesus. Only by gathering together do we give
visibility to Jesus and His church. |
| Each
time we gather we show people where they can find the risen Jesus in
today’s world. This is one of the reasons Jesus said to His followers in
the sermon on the mount, You are like light for the whole world. A city
built on a hill cannot be hid: in the same way, your light must shine
before people so that they will see the good things you do and praise
your Father in heaven. |
| He
must be in our thoughts and our speech, in our morality and ethics.
Because of us, people should know or at least suspect that Christ is
alive and loves them enough to die for them. |
| There
was this delightful Peanuts cartoon. It depicted Linus eating a peanut
butter sandwich. He walked into a room and said, “What a wonderful hand I
have. It could do so many wonderful things: brain surgery, conduct an
orchestra, paint great pictures.” By this time he had finished his
peanut butter sandwich, and was holding out both hands: “These hands are
so great, they could save the world!” Lucy looked up at him and said,
“Linus, your hands are full of peanut butter.” |
| We
all have peanut butter on our hands. Do not let that stop us from
reaching inside of ourselves to be other Christs. He is the vine, you
are the branches |
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| Yours in Christ, |
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| Fr. Bob Warren, SA |
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| P.S. Beginning on May 4th,
the Friars of the Atonement will celebrate the Feast of St. Peregrine
Novena of Masses honoring St. Peregrine, Patron Saint of cancer
patients. Join with us by sending your most heartfelt petitions to me now,
so your needs or the needs of your loved ones can be included in our
special Novena of Masses to St. Peregrine. My hope is that you will find
comfort, hope and strength through your friendship with this beloved
saint. |
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