Easter 5
Easter 5
by Lanie LeBlanc OP

In the Gospel account from John for this Sunday, Jesus tells the disciples that "without me you can do nothing." I think Jesus's words are "provable" if we look at the history of the Church as well as our own lives. It is relatively easy to identify both high points and rather low points as well.

In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear about the understandable resistance of the community to the once aggressive Saul and then finally the community's acceptance of him. It relates how Saul then spoke boldly in the name of Jesus and that the community was at peace because of their fear of the Lord and the consolation of the Holy Spirit. They got it right: we have all benefitted from Saul/Paul's work for the Lord !

The second reading from the first letter of John also tells us that "the way we know that he (Jesus) remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us." Hindsight reveals that the Spirit has been the guiding force when the growth of the Church happened and absent from people's minds/actions when there were times of great division. The continuation of the Church, in spite of the many mis-deeds of its members and even leadership at times, demonstrates the power of the guiding force of the Spirit. Someone believed Jesus's words !

I think we are at a critical crossroads at our present time in the Church. There is list of legitimate concerns that both Church officials and the general membership continue to face from different perspectives including the sexual abuse scandal, concerns with the Leadership Council of Women Religious, clericalism, poor attendance at Mass, and limited participation during Mass to just name a few. Issues ranging from global inter-faith relationships to those on a limited parish level also make Jesus's statement one we should take deep into our very being.

My three year old grand-daughter already can tell you that if there is a problem, you should look for a solution. She is learning about options and their consequences. Jesus must be at the heart of any solution especially those involving the Church. The name of Jesus and that Jesus stood for Truth should be paramount in our actions and those of anyone who considers himself or herself as a follower of Jesus. Jesus said "I am the vine and you are the branches." In my opinion, that means both that we must stay united to Him and what is Truth and also that we must treat one another with gentleness and dignity in order to flourish.

My cradle Catholic and now also Dominican view of Truth is that only God is all knowing and that the rest of us continually seek Him and Truth, gradually, through the graces of the Spirit. How we as Church and individuals deal with a small "mis-step" or an important controversy should be compatible with the guidance of the Spirit, the gentle Spirit who remembers that we are all united as family. Pruning does not mean severing or trampling or ignoring and certainly not in the name of Jesus! The Spirit calls us into transparency, dialogue, and redirection, not selective action, harsh condemnation, and reprimand.

There are at least two sides of every "story" . May we remember that Jesus must be at the heart of any story that becomes history because without Jesus, you can do nothing good. May the good we do be in Jesus's name and for the glory of God. May we seek to unite, regardless of how we might initially view a problem, to find a solution whose consequences give glory to God. May we each begin this process in our own hearts and homes so that it overflows into our communities, churches, neighborhoods, and places of business. Only then, I think, will all people of the world really understand what Jesus said and meant.

(Comments to Lanie at lanieleblanc@mindspring.com.)