Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today in the Gospel we hear Jesus refer to Himself as the true vine, His followers as the branches, and His Father as the vine-grower. This beautiful image is appealing on many levels, and not only to those of us who love a good glass of cabernet! When we look at a vineyard, we see the many branches growing and intertwining from a single source, a root in the ground. Just so, when we are rooted in Jesus Christ, our ability to flourish, to “bear fruit,” grows exponentially.
We have had the opportunity to bear fruit in new and diverse ways during this time of the COVID pandemic. Many fairly recent developments have long ranging implications for our fruitfulness as a community of faith. One such is our ability to live-stream Sunday Mass for those who are not able to join us in person. You will find more about this in my AMA update later on in the bulletin. I encourage you to read this, and if you have not already, consider giving in support of our 2021 AMA campaign, Recovery and Renewal.
In the Gospel Jesus tells us, “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Sometimes our work as followers as Jesus can feel overwhelming, especially if we forget that everything we do is actually made possible by God, not merely by the dint of our own strength. Rooted in the true vine, we grow. Pruned by the loving hand of the Father we are renewed and reinvest ourselves in the work of being a disciple. This week I invite you to join me in embracing our identity as branches of the true vine, wherever we are in our growing cycle.
I wish you and your loved ones continued Easter blessings of good heath, renewed hope, and great fruitfulness,
Fr. Paul
Please take a moment to read our Carmel Mission Weekly Bulletin.