5TH Sunday of Easter May 10, 2009

Date: Sunday May 10, 2009
Readings: ACTS 9: 26-31 1John 3:18-24 John 15: 1-8 Psalm 22: 26-28, 30-32
Response: "I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people"

Paul had been the prime persecutor of the early Church. He had stood by when Stephen was stoned to death. Perhaps, because he was part of the ruling party, he couldn't actively participate in the stoning but he approved. Shortly after he watched Stephen die for his faith in Jesus, Paul started out for Damascus to arrest and extradite any who professed belief in this Jesus as the Messiah. They were called "The New Way". Not a separate sect of Judaism but a splinter group. On his way, Paul experienced the risen Lord. Jesus talked to him, personally taught him and had him brought to Straight Street , blind, where Ananias placed his hands on him and he received his sight. How would you react to Paul? Stories about his determination to stamp out the New Way , spread throughout the small Christian community. They didn't trust him! Neither did his backers, the Sanhedrin. Paul was like a fish out of water. Until Barnabus, described as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit took him in hand and introduced him to the Apostles as trustworthy. Many of you are going to be released and will be back on the Street. Do you have someone, full of the Holy Spirit, to help you fit back into society? Take on the humility of Paul; ask God for help! He will see to it, someone will cross your path able to help.

Just before Easter, Psalm 22 was heard in the Passion Narratives of Matthew and Mark. " My God, My God, why have you abandoned me." Many people in Jesus' time thought He was complaining about His Sacrifice. Not at all!!! Everyone who really knew this lament, could mentally skip through to these verses of praise and thanksgiving. To them, stopping after the 1st verses was like reading only the first chapter of a book and putting it down. Jesus knew His Father would make the road straight.

As an introduction to the Gospel Reading for Sunday, the 1st letter of John Gives us the formula for salvation. LOVE! Without love we could not believe in God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We could not truly know our neighbor. Keeping the commandments lets us love our neighbor. In that way, we truly become branches of God's vineyard. We normally do not like discipline, pain or suffering. We say, "Give me lots of grace, forgiveness and compassion, but, spare me the pain".

The way we build up resistance to the temptations all around us is to accept the trials sent our way and use them as a buffer between sin and righteousness. We will all be tempted, however, God's Grace will be sufficient for us to shunt sin aside to become God's ambassadors here on Earth until we are called from our journey to our heavenly abode with Jesus.