In Judaism, life symbolized the difficult relations between God and his people across twelve long centuries. This relationship was especially based on three elements: the Land, the Torah and the Temple. On the columns of the Temple the vine was depicted, a symbol of the people of Israel present before Yahweh, their God. Jesus takes up this image once again, but he changes its meaning. Now he is the vine, not Yahweh. And the branches of the vine are no longer the people of Israel, but the believers in Christ. God, the Father of Jesus, is not left at the margin of the symbol, but now he is the vinedresser. In other words, it is the Father that sent Jesus into this world and has placed in him the foundations of all true unity. He is the point of union that founds any other true union between men, because "cut off from me you can do nothing." Any ecclesial, religious, political or family union that is to be qualified as true, stable and fruitful cannot ignore the reality of Christ, the key to all individual or collective existence. In this sense, Christianity is not only an option that calls for freedom; it is a necessity for identity and progress, which appeals to common sense.
P. Antonio Izqeuirdo, L.C., Copyright ยฉ Dicastery for the Clergy
When after being converted Saul goes to Jerusalem, the Christians are afraid of him; they walk away from him because they cannot believe that he is converted. Thank God Barnabas takes charge of him and introduces Saul to the community, explaining how he was converted and how he preached fearlessly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. Saul is thus received by the community, he becomes part of it, and may freely devote himself to his evangelizing work, especially among the Jews of Greek origin. It is evident that from the very beginning, the Apostles became aware that there was only one Church, and that all those that formed it were united in the same faith and in the same ardent zeal to preach the name of Jesus everywhere. Although Paul converted himself to Jesus in Damascus and received baptism there, he is well received in Jerusalem, as he will also subsequently be in Antioch and in Rome, because there is only one Church in the diversity of places and cultures. It was so from the beginning, and so it has continued to be. As contemporary Christians, will we be capable of putting the unity of the Church above internal tensions? Will we be capable of putting ourselves in the position to have God grant us the gift of unity of all Christians?
P. Antonio Izqeuirdo, L.C., Copyright ยฉ Dicastery for the Clergy
In the second reading, Saint John says to us that "our love must not be just words or mere talk, but something active and genuine." There must be unity between what we say and what we really do. Without such unity, we shall be internally divided in an evil inconsistency that will gnaw away at our conscience. In other words, the Christian must have a unified conscience, without any splits or divisions, so that he may be fearless before God, by keeping the commandments and doing what pleases the Lord. It is true that the Christian does not always act in a consistent manner, and that his conscience stings and rebukes him for it. However, we know that God is greater than our conscience and that he can thus restructure it and unify it once again. It is a wonderful invitation to have confidence in Godโs action and in the mysterious power of the Spirit that has given us inner unity, the fruit of our fidelity to the Word of God and to his commandments.
P. Antonio Izqeuirdo, L.C., Copyright ยฉ Dicastery for the Clergy
When someone calls another person, the latter is obliged to give an answer. This can be positive, negative, neutral or indifferent. What the person cannot do is leave a call unanswered. When Jesus said to the two disciples: "Come and see," what did they do? "They went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him the rest of that day." And when Samuel realized that it was God calling him, he did not hesitate to answer: "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening." The person is free to give one answer or another, but he is obliged to answer, given that he is the one who is called.
P. Antonio Izqeuirdo, L.C., Copyright ยฉ Dicastery for the Clergy
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