Dear Friends,

In the heart of the Gospel of John lies a profound parable that speaks volumes about the basis of our Christian journey. John 15:1-8 beautifully portrays Jesus as the true vine and His followers as the branches, illustrating the intimate connection and dependency we have on Him for spiritual strength and fruitfulness.

As Jesus begins his talk, He declares, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.” In these simple yet profound words, He establishes Himself as the source of our spiritual life, the very essence from which our faith and growth spring forth. Here, Jesus unveils a fundamental truth: apart from Him, we can do nothing. The symbolism of the vine and branches evokes powerful imagery deeply rooted in the agricultural practices of Jesus’ time. In ancient Israel, the vineyard was a familiar sight, and the vine dresser’s care for the vine and its branches was essential for a fruitful harvest. Likewise, Jesus portrays God the Father as the vine dresser, meticulously tending to His vineyard—the Church—and ensuring its health and productivity.

Yet, the key message lies in the relationship between the vine and the branches. Jesus points out the vital importance of abiding in Him: He says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”  Abiding in Christ involves a continual relationship of dependence and trust. It’s about remaining connected to Him through prayer, Scripture, and obedience. Abiding in Christ calls for a deepening of our relationship with Him through prayer, Scripture, the Sacraments, and acts of love and service toward one another. It requires humility to acknowledge our dependency on Him and a willingness to submit to His guidance and direction in our lives. Just as branches draw their sustenance from the vine, so too do we draw our spiritual nourishment from Christ, allowing His grace to flow through us and bear fruit in abundance.

What, then, is the fruit that Jesus speaks of? The fruits of the Spirit detailed in Galatians 5:22-23—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—are the natural outgrowths of a life deeply rooted in Christ; they are the results, the fruits, of the Gifts. When we abide in Him, His life becomes manifested in ours, transforming us from within and enabling us to reflect His love and presence to the world.  An example is when we go out to help those in need. Hopefully, we are using our nourishment from Christ to help in any way we can, by being kind, loving, patient, and gentle, sharing peace and joy and being faithful to Christ’s guidance and direction in our lives.

However, Jesus also issues a warning: “Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” This solemn reminder underscores the grave consequence of neglecting our relationship with Christ. When we disconnect ourselves from the source of life, we become spiritually barren, unable to bear fruit and susceptible to spiritual decay.

In a world marked by distractions, busyness, and the allure of self-sufficiency, the message of John 15:1-8 rings as relevant and compelling as ever. It calls us to reexamine our priorities and to prioritize our relationship with Christ above all else. It challenges us to cultivate a vibrant, abiding faith—one that is deeply rooted in Him and bears fruit that endures.

As we continue our journey through the Easter season, may we heed the words of Jesus and abide in Him, drawing strength and sustenance from the true vine. May our lives be personified by an ever-deepening intimacy with Christ, resulting in lives that bear fruit in abundance, to the glory of God the Father.

Peace of Christ,
Deacon Ray Ferreris

Dear Parishioners,

Saints of God, the Lord be with you!

As I’ve said before, Good Shepherd Sunday (John 10:11-18) is not easy for me to preach on. I’ve had no experience with sheep, nor have I ever met a shepherd of sheep. But in the “Sourcebook for Sundays, Seasons, and Weekdays” the author of the reflection on this text reminds us that, “a good shepherd knows that it is best to lead from the back, gently nudging the flock toward nourishment and keeping out of harm’s way” (p. 182).

This reminded me of my time teaching English in Santurce, Spain during summer vacation. (I did this for three summers before I reentered the friars, and though the days were long, the pay was wonderful.) I knew no Spanish and was told that’s why I got the job. I did have a wonderful Spanish aid, Susanna, who assisted in class, and at the local tapas bar the English teachers and aides frequented every night. Every Wednesday, we’d take my class of 20 children on an outing by bus to the sea, or another town. She was the leader, and I with a big, tall walking stick in hand, followed behind, making sure no one wandered away. It was very stressful, but the kids seemed to enjoy this time away from a full day of classroom instruction. I never lost anyone. I don’t know if they were afraid of me or afraid of the stick.

This idea of “nudging” people to nourishment, to faith, fidelity, and forgiveness, is to my mind exactly how Jesus ministered to people and lived His life. While in homilies I’ve never used the word “nudged”, I have used the word “invited”. The Greek word for “good” can also be translated as “beautiful” or “exemplary”.  Jesus was a beautiful and exemplary shepherd in that He never beat His followers over the head, never scolded nor scared them, but by word and deed showed them how much they were loved. He was a good shepherd since, in the end, He even laid down His life for them. Who Jesus was then He is even more so now. He invites and nudges us. He doesn’t beat nor scold us. He laid down his life for us and rose from the dead for us.

All of us should be shepherds for one another. Parents, you are the shepherds of your children. Grandparents, you too are shepherds for adult children, guiding them by example; caring, praying with and for your grandchildren. My prayer for us all who are the Church is that we lead one another to nourishment by gently guiding one another. My prayer for all of us is that we also have the humility to be guided especially when we find ourselves in difficult situations. My prayer for all of us is that we let ourselves by nudged by Jesus, the Good Shepherd, so that we who are God’s children now may come to realize who we shall be when all has been revealed (1 John 3:1-2).

– Fr. Steve Kluge, OFM

Dear Parishioners,

As we look upon the Resurrection of Jesus and its redemptive act of love for us as it effects the forgiveness of sin, it also needs to be seen as a gift of peace towards all humanity. Our readings this Sunday all emphasize repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Acts of the Apostles urges repentance for forgiveness of sins. John’s letter views Christ as an offering for the world and reminds us that if we sin, we have Jesus as our personal intercessor before God. In Luke’s Gospel, which happens to be the tail end of the Emmaus Story, we hear Jesus opening the minds of the Apostles to the Scriptures, telling them they are to preach repentance after first greeting them with the words “Peace be with you.”

Peace connotes the restoration of relationships, between God and His people and His people among themselves.  When Jesus stood among them with the word “peace,” He restored them to relationship with Himself. The barrier of death has been overcome.  Jesus and His disciples are united. He is not a ghost, and they do not have to be afraid. He is alive and real. Nor do we need to be afraid.

At some point after the Resurrection, the disciples might have wondered, “Jesus rising from the dead is great, but what now?” “What’s next?” What’s next is for them to go out and preach the good news of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, to be preached in Jesus’ name. Jesus is now teaching and commissioning them.

Last week we read that the Apostles are to forgive sins and indeed, this is the greatest work we can carry out as Christians, to forgive.  As God the Father forgave us through Jesus’ death on the cross, so we forgive others. That example of forgiving others can lead us all towards a peaceful existence with one another.

We are invited in this time of Easter to deepen our faith in the risen Christ by renewing again the promises of our Baptism:  to die to self and to live in the Lord. Words are easy and actions can be costly. We can ask ourselves: “Can I truly offer forgiveness and ask for forgiveness too?” “Do I really trust that my own sins are forgiven?” “Do I know that Christ died and then was raised to life and through that, our whole world was changed forever?” The answer to all of these questions should be a resounding “yes!”

After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to convey the message of peace to his followers, and that includes all of us. May we be open the grace of peace in our lives proclaimed to us by Jesus himself!

Peace be with you!
– Fr. Zack