Fr. Rick Spicer

Jesus’ parable of the vine and the branches is a very fitting one for Mothers’ Day. The relationship of a mother and her unborn child is one of total dependence. Even after birth, a child remains dependent on mom for nourishment, care, shelter, and education. That is a bond we can all relate to.

 

With this parable, Jesus is telling us of another essential bond in our lives. “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”

 

As baptized Christians, we have a bond with Jesus that is even more intimate than a mother has with her child. Just as a mother nourishes the child in her womb with her blood, Jesus nourishes us with his body and blood every time we receive Holy Communion in a state of grace.

 

This sacrament connects us with Jesus, giving us the potential to deepen our faith and our spiritual well-being. As Jesus points out, this bond enables us to bear much fruit. He cautions us that if we separate ourselves from him, we will wither and die much like a branch does when it is snipped.

 

On a recent ferry that I barely got on, I ran into a parent I hadn’t seen in awhile. I told him that his presence at Mass was missed. I could sense that he was struggling to justify his absence.  Our conversation was cut short before I had the chance to raise the question, “Would life be so difficult if you hadn’t fallen away from practicing your faith?”

 

I wonder if he and anyone else who has quit coming to Mass have given much thought to that line in the gospel that I don’t like to contemplate. “Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.” 

 

It is easy for us to downplay the importance of Jesus and the sacraments in our lives, not realizing the harm we do to our spiritual well-being and our relationships with others. A good analogy would be our need to exercise often if we want to keep in shape. Failing to do so can cause us to gradually gain weight and develop a life-threatening illness.

 

Jesus’ intent in sharing this parable isn’t to provide us with a lesson in gardening.  Rather, he is telling us how to keep our faith well. Just as a branch can’t survive on its own apart from the vine, our faith can’t survive apart from Jesus. To keep our faith strong, we must remain in him.

 

So, how do we stay connected to the vine that is Jesus? We do it by giving priority to actively participating in the life of the church. That could mean doing some pruning in our lives. A relevant question we should ponder is, “What things in my life could be cutting me off from God?” One example that comes to mind is the woman who always prayed her rosary while watching TV. She said her prayers all right, but was she really praying? Where was her mind as she said “Hail Mary”? Any prayer is better than none but if we want our faith to become vibrant, we need to give God our undivided attention.  Like Jesus said, apart from him, we cannot thrive.

 

Some branches in our lives that we may need to prune include bigotry, materialism, selfishness, prejudice, and apathy. They prevent us from loving others in deed and in truth as John urges us to in his letter. The same could be said of those self-centered addictions in our lives like alcohol and gambling that distance us from God and others.

 

Because the notion of pruning hurts, both figuratively and literally, few of us are eager to do much trimming in our lives. Consequently, we find ourselves sprouting branches all over the place that give little direction to our lives or depth to our faith.  Like the tree that hasn’t been pruned, we have plenty of branches that bear little fruit. With all the distractions and priorities that fill our lives, we risk overlooking the wisdom of this gospel; “Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.”

 

If you ever find your spirituality drooping with little zest, then you need to cut back on those things that are keeping you away from God. Blow the dust off the family bible and read it. I assure you that a half hour spent reading the bible is a better investment of your time than nearly any show on TV would be. It takes more than just coming to weekly Mass to deepen your relationship with God.  I am convinced that the less one prays during the week, the more likely one will be tempted to skip Mass and Holy Communion. Sooner or later, you cut yourself off from the vine, becoming a member of that religion known as the fallen away Christian.

 

The quality of our faith and the fruit our faith bears depends on our willingness to let Jesus impact us through prayer, the sacraments, scripture, and his moral teachings.   

 

Just as any mother would likely say to her child, “Clean your room,” Jesus is telling us to clean our lives of whatever it is that is keeping us apart from him. Look at your branches and ask yourself, “Do they help me to grow in my relationship with God or do they keep me apart from God?” Cutting away our lifeless branches may hurt but doing that will bless us with the rich harvest of a more vibrant and life giving faith.

She had no idea and said, “I give up. What do they call the nut that holds it all together?” Her son smiled and replied, “They call it the Jesus nut.” An interesting and sensible name, if you ask me. Just as that nut holds the helicopter together, Jesus by his death and resurrection holds us together. That is the underlying message I find throughout these readings. Jesus is the one who holds everything together. He is compared to the cornerstone of a building and in today’s gospel; we hear the familiar image of the good shepherd who keeps his flock together.

 

We could easily limit our attention to that image and forget the rest of the story. A Jesus nut may keep a helicopter together but it doesn’t get the helicopter off the ground. Every component in the helicopter from the rotors to the motor plays a role in getting the helicopter airborne. A cornerstone keeps a building from collapsing but it doesn’t make up the entire building. Every beam matters in the construction of any building. Likewise, you and I are crucial to the vitality of the Catholic Church in Western Washington.

 

One might wonder why Jesus would choose such a lowly job for a self-image, calling himself the “good shepherd,” especially when we think of sheep as being dumb animals. Comparing us to sheep doesn’t seem so flattering but then this vulnerable animal develops a fierce loyalty and this is the quality Jesus is looking for in his disciples. Jesus expects us to be as loyal to him as a sheep would be to its shepherd.  Also, good shepherds would die while protecting their sheep.

 

As a parish community, we demonstrate our loyalty through action in any number of ways; feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, caring about the homeless, welcoming newcomers, and comforting the grieving. And what we cannot do individually or as a parish is done by the services and ministries of the Archdiocese. 

 

The Annual Catholic Appeal supports 63 ministries in Western Washington from Blaine to Camas and from Westport to Concrete. I invite you during this Easter season to show your loyalty and love in deed and in truth just as Jesus showed his love for us on the cross. Participating in the Annual Catholic Appeal is one deed we can all do.

 

I presume you received this brochure from Archbishop Brunett, which outlines a few of the many programs supported by the Annual Catholic Appeal. As you may have heard already, the goal this year is to raise $ 1 million. Our parish goal is $ 29,313. Last year 46% of our families participated with an average pledge of $275, enabling us to surpass our goal by more than $21,000.  The money we received back is now being spent on renovating the church with a new roof and new carpeting.

 

I join Archbishop Brunett in asking you to prayerfully consider how you can support the larger church this year. I hope you can respond with the same generosity that was demonstrated last year. I know this parish will generously exceed its goal; what you might not realize is how crucial the rebate we get back will be for our parish in the coming year. That money has been earmarked for putting new siding on the church and for a new sound system.

 

Everyone’s participation is valued. If you haven’t given in the past to the Annual Catholic Appeal, I am asking you as a member of this parish to join others who have participated by making some pledge as a sign that you do see yourself as a vital member of the Catholic Church. A gift of any size will be valued by those whom the Appeal benefits.

 

In this land of ours, where we take religious freedom for granted, I doubt that we will ever be called to lay down our lives as the good shepherd did for us, but we can honestly consider our willingness to sacrifice something in order to help the larger church reach out in its much needed ministries from educating tomorrow’s priests to visiting the imprisoned, from supporting our retired nuns and priests to visiting the sick in our hospitals, from supporting our youth camps to training tomorrow’s deacons.

 

Last weekend a few families made their pledges. I hope the rest of you are ready to make your commitment today by filling out a pledge envelope, even if you are visiting from another parish. I will give you a few moments to fill out an envelope. You need not put any money in it at this time. There are four ways you can make a pledge as noted on the envelope; cash or check, electronic funds transfer, ask for a monthly statement from the diocese, or use a credit card. When you are done, please place your pledge envelope in the collection basket when it comes to you.

 

On behalf of the Archbishop and the many people who are served by the Church of Western Washington, thank you for all you do and share as loyal disciples of Jesus Christ. May God bless you abundantly and may we continue to follow the good shepherd all the days of our lives. 

Although they had walked a fair distance with him, talking about what had happened on Good Friday; it wasn’t until he broke bread with them that they recognized him.

I can imagine how they felt when the blinders came off and everything he had said made sense. “Were not our hearts burning while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” That prompted them to walk back to Jerusalem to share their experience with the other disciples to the scene we found in this gospel where again Jesus opened their minds to understanding the scriptures.

 

Having a mental block isn’t that uncommon for any of us. I recall years ago while putting together a prayer book in sign language for deaf children, I wondered how to convey that line from the Apostles ’ Creed, “the communion of saints.” All the time I had said that prayer while growing up, I imagine the saints receiving Holy Communion. Needless to say, I was beet red when a priest explained to me that it meant “community of saints.”

 

Duh, no wonder we refer to Eucharist as Holy Communion.  Partaking of the Eucharist is a public testimony that we belong to the Catholic community and that we believe in what the Catholic faith stands for.  We all matter when it comes to doing the work of Christ, from gathering here to worship to proclaiming the gospel each in our own way for not one of us in the sight of God is unimportant.  We depend on the Church and the Church depends on us to make real the message of Jesus Christ.   One way we can do that is through the Annual Catholic Appeal, which provides us with the opportunity to put our gifts at the service of others.

One adjective that comes to mind as I ponder today’s gospel is “skeptical.” Thomas was skeptical when he heard the news that Jesus has risen from the dead. Who could blame him? After all, aside from the miracle of Lazarus, that had never happened before. If someone were to run in here and excitedly tell us that Pope John Paul has risen from the dead, wouldn’t we all be skeptical?

Thomas needed some proof. “Unless I see the mark of nails in his hands, I will not believe.” For this remark, he has gone down in history, remembered as “doubting Thomas.”  We view such a label negatively but in fact, doubt is a requisite for faith. As Thomas demonstrated a week later, his doubt led him to worship. Upon seeing Jesus, he became the first apostle to say, “My Lord and my God!”

Speaking of skepticism, when the building project was first announced five years ago, I imagine a fair number of parishioners were skeptical that it would ever be done. They probably became even more skeptical when the first architect was dismissed for being too costly and the second for being incompetent. When we had to shelve the original plans and start over with yet another architect during my first year here, even some on the building committee were beginning to think, “Unless I see the mark of nails in the wood, I will not believe!”  Well, see for yourself, the nail marks are there!

The reality of a new parish center took much effort on the part of a dedicated building committee that persevered in its mission, the architect, the contractor and his many sub-contractors, and the generosity of parishioners who were never skeptical but had faith that the new parish center would one day be reality.

The effort of everyone who has helped to make this dream become a reality to me is a testimony of faith. The artist who is creating stained glass windows, the carpenters and other skilled workers giving shape to what the architect designed and the landscaping that will take place to provide beauty to our campus remind me of countless others who helped to build majestic cathedrals in the past. Each did a small part but in the end left behind a lasting monument to their faith.

The same was true for the apostles. We wouldn’t be here today if it had not been for the faith that emerged on Easter Sunday so long ago. That night, the risen Christ appeared to them for the first time and greeted them with the gift of peace. “Peace be with you.” His peace means much more than simply feeling good or the absence of conflict or hostility. Like a majestic cathedral, his gift of peace continues to be created today brick by brick, pane by pane in that every act of kindness, justice, and mercy performed by his followers contributes toward making real Christ’s gift of peace in the world today.  His “peace” is a state of being that encompasses all: peace that honors humility and cherishes reconciliation; peace that welcomes back the lost, heals the brokenhearted, and respects the dignity of every person as a child of God; peace that is born of wisdom, justice and gratitude.

A brick by itself isn’t much, nor is a pane of glass or a siding of wood, but taken together, they can add up to create a majestic church. Likewise, there is more to a church than the building itself. What makes the church real is the community of believers within.  No wonder then, we often hear the command at the end of our worship, “The Mass is ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” Jesus is expecting us to go forth from here and actively live our faith the rest of the week at home, at school, at work, and wherever else we will find ourselves.  We are all expected to do our part in making the kingdom of God come alive.

Have you ever watched geese fly in formation? While a thing of beauty to watch, the v-shaped formation is essential to the geese for survival. If you listen, you can hear the beat of their wings whistling through the air in unison. And that is the secret of their strength. The lead goose cuts a swath through the air resistance, which creates a helping uplift for the birds behind it. In turn, their flapping makes it easier for the birds behind them. Each bird takes its turn at being the leader. As the tired ones fan out to the edge of the V, the rested ones surge toward the point of the V to drive the flock onward. Together, cooperating as a flock, geese can fly much further, with up to 60 percent less effort.

Peace is hard work; creating and maintaining peace requires focused action on our parts. But working together, we can do make Christ’s peace more real in our midst. One way would be to become more active in our faith community. I have asked the different ministries and organizations in the parish to give you an opportunity to find out what is going on and to see how you can be involved. Granted, the hall is cozy but I urge you to wander through and take a look and find for yourself a way to be more involved in the parish. Some of you may be skeptical that you have anything to offer but like geese flying in formation, we all can make a difference in making St. Hubert a more vibrant parish tomorrow than it has been in the past.

Thomas is remembered for being skeptical, but then he believed in Jesus and in himself. How might you want to be remembered? Today we are being called to be involved in building up the kingdom of God. Believe in yourself and know that you too can make a difference around here.

This past week the History Channel has been running a series called “Ten days that shaped America.”  None of the events that I thought of such as the invasion of Pearl Harbor or the assassination of John Kennedy made the list. What was on the list made sense once I heard the explanation of the featured event.

 

I imagine if historians were to list ten days that shaped the world, what happened on that first Easter morning 2000 years ago would be included. Few would dispute that without the resurrection Jesus of Nazareth would be nothing more than a footnote in history. In some volumes of ancient history he would probably be listed along with numerous other religious leaders who simply came and went.

 

But as you and I know Jesus was different from any religious leader of his time. Undoubtedly, others also suffered martyrdom, maybe even crucifixion, but Jesus stood apart from anyone else. He rose from the dead.

 

One could argue that no singular event had a greater impact on world history than what happened that morning when Mary Magdalene discovered an empty tomb.  She was told that Jesus was not there and that he had been raised. As instructed, she went and told the disciples what happened.

 

What literally took place cannot be humanly explained. Those who cannot believe what happened will come up with any number of explanations; the body was stolen from the tomb, or Jesus wasn’t really dead when he was taken down from the cross, that somehow he was drugged when he was placed in the tomb. But the story Mary Magdalene tells us has stood the test of time. The Lord has been raised! Those who later saw the risen Christ never altered their testimony even when threatened with death.

 

Why should such a story even matter to us today? For one thing, what happened to Jesus gives us reason to believe that life is more than that span of time from the womb to the tomb. Until Jesus came on the scene, the Jews envisioned the Messiah as a worldly leader who would liberate them from the oppression of the Romans, but Jesus kept telling them that his kingdom was not of this world. But where else could it be if not here? The notion that we could someday be living in a different dimension had hardly been considered even by the apostles until the resurrection took place.

 

By his resurrection, Jesus left evidence that our time here would be a stepping stone to a new life beyond the threshold of death. What he said in those few years as he wondered the shores of Galilee and the hills of Judea were not empty promises or false hopes but the good news that he would free us from the oppression of sin and suffering.  His resurrection validates his claim.

 

We are celebrating more than just an historical event that happened 2000 years ago. We are celebrating the impact that event continues to have on our lives today. The awareness that life for us can be renewed, rejuvenated, and made whole. Like Jesus, we can emerge from our tombs, not just the ones that will be someday be our final resting places, but also the tombs we bury ourselves in during this lifetime. We can leave behind the desert experience of our past sins to experience our own resurrection by making the choice to deepen our relationship with God.

 

The resurrection of Jesus is the heart of our Christian faith. Unable to explain how this happened, all Mark can do is tell us the reaction of those who saw the empty tomb along with the promise that they would see the risen Lord.

 

Having witnessed the risen Christ, the apostles went forth to proclaim the good news. Nothing could keep them entombed for they had seen firsthand that Jesus had triumphed over death. They were moved to share the news with others at any cost. They passed on the good news that nothing can defeat us any more, not pain, not sorrow, not rejection, not even death.

 

Most likely you have never heard of Nikolai Ivanovich Bukarin. He was a very powerful man in the early days of the Soviet Union. The story is told that in 1930 he addressed a huge assembly in Kiev on the subject of atheism, with the intent of trying to disprove the premises of Christianity.

 

When done, he asked if there were any questions. Silence filled the auditorium. Then a man went on the stage and looked over the audience. He then shouted the ancient greeting known well in the Russian Orthodox Church, “Christ is risen!” En masse the crowd arose as one man and responded like a clap of thunder, “He is risen indeed!”

 

Yes, the ultimate greatness of Easter is “Jesus Christ is risen!” but its greatness is more than a past event. Easter, as shown by that assembly in Kiev, is an unfolding mystery that has touched and will continue to touch countless lives. The real proclamation of the gospel isn’t “Look what happened to Jesus!” No, the real message is “Look at what can happen to us!” for the message of Easter is that the resurrection has the power to transform the lives we are living now.

 

My friends, a blessed Easter to you! Not just this day, but throughout this season, which lasts until Pentecost on June 4. May you always be filled with the peace of the risen Lord!