In this section of John’s Gospel we find Jesus, having just finished the Last Supper, explaining to his closest friends what he expected of them and helping them to understand what he had taught them. He tells them that they are intimately connected to him, like vines to a branch, it is from him that they draw their very sustenance, their life. They have life in and through him. He tells them they have already been pruned and will bear great fruit. He tells them to remain in him as he remains in them!

What a wonderful image to ponder, this indwelling of Christ. In the verse that comes immediately following the final verse we heard in today’s reading Jesus says “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love”. These are amazing images of love and intimacy being shared between Jesus and his disciples, as he knows his life with them is about to change dramatically. He tells them that they will be able to continue on and they are ready to produce great fruit and that they are connected to one another and to him, and will always remain so.

n the first reading we heard of some of the fruit that born of these relationships and this enduring presence but we also know that there were great struggles as well, in the midst of the presence of the Risen One. The disciples were human and they argued and disagreed and still they produced great fruit. Even in the midst of human weakness and failures Christ’s presence has the power to save us from ourselves!

How or when have I let the power of Christ’s presence within me shine through, guiding my thoughts and actions? What pruning might I need to have done to make my life more Christ centered, that I might abide in his love more fully?

Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim

The image of Jesus as the good shepherd is one of the oldest images in Christianity. I remember seeing it in the catacombs of Rome…painted on the walls of ancient caverns by a people from long ago. What is it about this image that has captivated the minds and hearts of Christians for centuries? Surely for the post modern mostly urban culture of the West, this image may well seem a bit arcane and less accessible than it was to our ancestors. Jesus is depicted, through the use of this image, as a shepherd, who was, in that time and in that culture, relatively unimportant and certainly not powerful. The disciples and all those who followed him around experienced Jesus as kind and gentle, like the “good” shepherd who watches over the sheep with great care and concern and even risks his/her own safety for the sake of the sheep. This image of a kind and gentle god was somewhat unique, but then so was the idea of a god who would be willing to suffer and die for us.

I believe that this image of the Good Shepherd has endured precisely because of its radical departure from the common image of a distant and disinterested and sometimes even vengeful god. This image tells us that our God loves us and cares for us and journeys with us as we travel through the valleys and hills of our lives. But too, it may well speak to us of what we are called to be…in Christ’s image…”good shepherds” of the lost and vulnerable, the poor and the forsaken. That we are called to go after them, to reach out to the marginalized and the ones society dismisses or demeans.

And as we celebrate Earth Day we recognize that truly “good shepherds” also recognize the importance of creation and our environment for their sheep depend on a healthy ecosystem. So as “good shepherds” we are also called to care for creation, to be aware of how our lives impact the earth and the lives of others. How am I being called to be a “good shepherd” in my family, in my school or place of work, in my community, in my nation, in the wider world? What am I willing to risk “as a good shepherd” for the sake of the flock…for the sake of creation…for building up of the Reign of God?

Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim

​In today’s Gospel Jesus asks the disciples “why are you troubled?”….Why are they troubled? Because they are not accustomed to seeing someone who has died raised from the dead! They are trying to wrap their hearts and minds around what it all means for them and for their future!

And Jesus knows this and lays out their future. He sends them forth into the world to preach to all nations that he was the Christ who suffered, died and rose from the dead on the third day, and the repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name to all nations and that they are the witnesses of these things! And filled with the Holy Spirit they are sent forth to tell the world of its salvation!

It is through this Easter miracle that all of us have been raised to new life in Christ, that we gain with Christ immortality because of the love of God who so deeply and passionately loves us, even in the midst of our brokenness and sinfulness! We are the beloved, and this is what we celebrate each Sunday but especially during the Easter Season and we too are sent to spread the good news of Jesus’ resurrection and our salvation!

How do we do that, how do we share God’s amazing and passionate love for each of us with others in our lives, in our families, with our friends, at school, at work, in our neighborhood, our county, our nation and the world? In the face of war and famine, in the midst of political and racial discord and  the immigration and refugee crisis, in the middle of family disputes or conflict, how can or do I share or show forth God’s amazing and passionate love for each one of us and for all of creation? What gestures or actions can I make this week that in some way will help someone else discover or feel God’s love for them?

Easter Blessings,
Fr Tim