Bearing Good Fruits in Christ

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Church

May 3, 2015

In today’s gospel Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him will bear much fruit because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). The image of electricity and the bulb will help us understand more what our Lord is saying. Just as electricity provides the power necessary for the bulb to burn, so the vine provides the life necessary for the branches to produce fruits. A house cannot have light unless it is connected to the very source of electricity. We cannot have the virtuous fruits of the Spirit unless we are connected to Jesus the true vine. As long as we are connected to Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit can run into us keeping us alive and thriving. But if we dismember ourselves from him, we will not be able to produce life-sustaining and life-giving fruits. This could lead to spiritual dormancy and inactivity. In the end, it can lead to loss of faith; it can lead to loss of the sense of the sacred, and the loss of the sense of God. Catholics who do not produce fruits expected of the children of the resurrection are a threat to Christianity; they can harm the Body of Christ and expose our faith to ridicule. Their actions can make more converts to atheism than atheists are able to do. What are the fruits expected of a Christian? Galatians 5:22 says, “The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” 

To bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit, we must remain in Christ Jesus. We must renew our relationship with him on a daily basis through prayer. The secret to the faithfulness of Jesus was his constant contact with his Father. Over and over again, he would withdraw into a lonely place to pray. For us to be able to keep and maintain constant contact with Jesus, we must pray and attend Masses. At Mass we encounter Jesus both in the Word and in the Eucharist. Prayer doesn’t have to be about asking. Asking for one favor or the other is just one aspect of prayer. Prayer is being in the presence of God. It involves making time to be silent and to acknowledge the presence of God. We must make time to turn off the TV, radio, the phones, the computer and just think about God. For those of us who find it very difficult to concentrate, to meditate and to pray, let me suggest a practice that can help. Place two chairs (seats) facing each other. Sit on one, then invite Jesus to sit on the other. Believe in your heart that he is sitting on the other. Close your eyes and then talk to him. If you have nothing to say to him, just shut your eyes and remain silent for a while. If you want to talk to him but don’t know what to say, you can say repeatedly, “Jesus, I love you” or “Jesus, I need you” or something else. Remember the injunction of St. Paul, “Walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

A good disciple of Jesus Christ makes time for him. He/she understands that prayer is touching God. Prayer is the oil of the Christian life. If there is no oil in a running car, it is only a matter of time before there is a mechanical meltdown. In the same way, when a Christian goes on without prayer, without connecting with Christ, it is only a matter of time before he or she suffers spiritual meltdown. When a branch of a tree is chopped off, it is only a matter of time before it withers and dies. With constant contact with Jesus through prayer, studying and meditating on the Word of God (Bible), and attending Masses regularly, the Christian enriches his or her life, and his or her contact with the Lord enables him or her to be a fruitful branch. In the end, the person radiates the glory of God. His or her life motivates others to want to serve the God that makes him or her the way he or she is. The life of a fruitful child of God gives glory to God. Such a life demonstrates the goodness of God. It bears testimony to the good God. Our greatest achievement is that by remaining in Christ and producing good fruits we bring glory to our God who is good at all times. 

Be fruitful and multiply the glory and blessings of God!