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May 1, 2021CONNECTED : adj. ( ke nek tid ) joined or linked together; having social, professional, or commercial relationships.
2020 and 2021 have been all about new ways to remain “connected” to one another and family, to work and to Faith — to everything — as we isolate and socially distance, according to the CDC regulations as the science, which we are told to follow, evolves as we learn more about the transmission of the disease, social distancing, mask - wearing and vaccinations. And so, this “connecting” is evermore important.
Today’s Gospel of John speaks to us in a powerfully spiritual way about the importance of remaining connected to God, to faith, and to church. This Gospel, as you know, is the Vine and the Branches, and Jesus explains to his disciples that he is the vine, and we are the branches, and his Father is the caretaker, the gardener, the dresser of the vineyard. And that as part of the Church, we the disciples of Jesus and followers of God, must stay connected to the Church — in and through the lived experience of our faith, i.e., we must become practitioners of the faith.
So in a practical application of the gospel and our faith, here are some questions we might want to employ this coming week as we meditate on this gospel — its meaning for us and how we make it applicable to our everyday lives:
1. How often and with what intensity do I speak (pray) to the gardener - caretaker of the vine yard — God?
2. In prayer, do I present all my needs, wants and hopes — “the good, the bad and the ugly” of my life’s situation? Do I talk in terms of gratitude for blessings as well as all that I need and want?
3. Do I ask for “assistance,” that is Grace — so that I will have heavenly wisdom to make decisions based upon Truth, and to have the Courage so that I will follow through or preserve to bear fruit in the world?
4. Do I ask for the grace to be consistent in faith, not give up when I assume God has failed or refused to answer me; perhaps asking for eyes of faith so that I may see His answer to my petition?
5. And, do I call upon the Church — whether it be a priest for conversation or a fellow parishion- er who might have had a similar issue? Do I come to the Sacramental Life of the Church — which were instituted by Christ and given to His Church for our use in these exact situa- tions...am I forgiven by the Sacrament of Penance and so strengthen to do better in a given temptation or failing? Do I come to the Eucharist so that I may be conformed and transformed into God’s Will, becoming as St. Catherine of Siena has said, “Become who God meant you to be, and you will set the world ablaze?”
The fruit of the Church — you and I — cannot be connected to God without His Church, His Faith and the lived experience of it — the community of believers, all with different and unequal gifts but given for the singular purpose of the excellence of the community. E pluribus Unum! Out of many — diversity — One. And that the One is God Himself, not a nation or ideology but for the Excellence of the other. Together in faith, we can be nourished on the Vine if we are connected and remain open to His nourishment. And then we must live it ou
