In the Gospel this Sunday Jesus says to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower ... I am the vine, you are the branches.” I hear these words and think of how essential it is to stay connected to the Lord. It is crucial to keep ourselves attached to our Triune God. Furthermore, how important it is to maintain and deepen our relationship with Christ who is the source of life, hope, joy, and peace. Truly, this is why Jesus told the disciples and us that it is imperative that we remain in him as he is in us.

Take a moment now and pray for those who are receiving the Eucharist for the first time. They are being spiritually connected to Christ Jesus in the sacrament. The One they are receiving is greater than any picture can record or capture, more powerful than the live streaming of the moment can convey. The joy on their faces (and within their hearts) is very apparent and awe-inspiring to me as priest and minister of this sacrament. May they and every Catholic grow in our longing to be united with Christ through Holy Communion.

As Christians it is vital that we stay or remain connected to Jesus Christ and to others. Just as the connection between the vine and branches is necessary in order for nourishment to be transferred from the soil through the vine to all the branches, for life to exist - grow - develop - and continue, and for the bearing of fruit to take place. So it becomes imperative for our spiritual welfare to keep connected to God (and to a faith community). The truth is: apart from the vine, the branch will shrivel and die; thus, those who are not connected to Jesus have no life within them. 

When we unite or connect ourselves to Jesus this brings us into the divine life of the Holy Trinity. The Spirit of God works in us, giving us rich gifts and helping us to bear fruit for the sake of the Kingdom. No other vine that this world offers is as life-giving and productive as that of Jesus. Without Christ Jesus, we can do nothing. He is the source of life; therefore, we must remain with him today and always. Grace from Almighty God is what helps us to remain connected and the “vine” through which the Lord helps us to bring forth and bear spiritual fruit.

Questions to Reflect upon this week: 
Adults- When have you been "pruned" by your experiences in a way that led to greater abundance?

Children-  When have you felt stronger or better because you did something hard to help another person?  

: On May 1st we honor St. Joseph as the patron saint of workers. Did you know that May 1 is also Holocaust Remembrance Day? That might sound grim; after all, who wants to remember something so unspeakably evil? But the maxim that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it has been proven true time and time again in human history. Remembering the holocaust is one way to ensure that we never again experience a similar event. Your challenge this week is to reflect on the holocaust which took place in Hitler’s Germany. Discuss as a household what you know about it. Research why it happened, and how Hitler got so many people caught up in trying to exterminate an entire race of people. Then ask yourself what little steps of prejudice and hatred led up to the big “Final Solution” of seeking extinction for the entire Jewish people. Commit yourself and your family to confronting one of the little steps towards racism or prejudice wherever you see it. This might be as simple as standing up to people who make jokes at the expense of a particular group of people; it could mean advocating to oppose regimes across the world which engage in genocide. Whatever you decide to do, hold all of the victims of the holocaust in your heart as you work to make sure that history does not repeat itself. Help insure that the victims did not die in vain.

Saints Philp and James
Feast Day-May 3

Patron Saint of Uruguay 
Click on the image below for a short bio and reflection