The Gospel of John is the last Gospel written and is very different from the first three gospels. The Gospel of John is most concerned with the identity of Jesus. Who is this man who has been raised from the dead? Like God the Father, Jesus is a mystery. And so the Gospel of John recounts several unique sayings of Jesus. These are called the “I am” sayings: “I am the Good Shepherd….I am the light of the world….I am the Bread of Life….I am the way, the truth and the life….I am the true Vine and you are the branches.” What does it mean to hear that we are the branches and Jesus is the vine? Easter is the season of Hope. Many people, even some Christians, believe that Hope is about the life after death. It is all about going to heaven, about getting away from this world. But that’s not the message of Jesus. The message of Jesus is about the Kingdom of God here on earth – in the here and now, in your life and in my life. The prayer he taught us is “Thy kingdom come, and Thy will be done, On earth in the same way that it is in heaven.” In the mind of Jesus, following Him is a matter of cultivating heaven on earth, a place where we forgive one another, a place where we seek unity, not disunity, a place where we forgive and forget. God’s kingdom is a place where we let go of selfishness and grab onto responsibility for one another. It is a place where we ask different questions. We begin to ask “How can I leave the world a better place for my children and grandchildren?” . . . . These are the signposts of hope all around us. These are the buds on the true Vine of the Christ. – – – Fr. Jim
