In this section of John’s Gospel, we find Jesus, having just finished the Last Supper, after having made the amazing “servant gesture” of washing the disciples’ feet. He now sets out explaining to his closest friends what he expects of them, and helps them to understand all that he has taught them.
He tells them that they are intimately connected to him, like vines to a branch; that it is from him that they draw their sustenance; their very life. They have life in and through him. He shares with them they have already been pruned and will bear great fruit.

Jesus wants them to remain in him as he remains in them! What a wonderful image for us to ponder, this indwelling of Christ. In the verse that comes immediately following the final verse we heard in today’s Gospel 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.

In the first reading we heard of some of the fruit born of these relationships and this enduring Divine presence amongst Jesus’ disciples. We heard how the nascent church was rapidly spreading and growing, filled with the Holy Spirit. But we also know that there were great struggles as well, even in the midst of the presence of the Risen One.

The disciples were human -- 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, and help us to do amazing things!

Today we find ourselves in scary, strange and difficult times. So much of the world seems angry and to have lost its way, seemingly bent on regressing to former less just and more divisive time. We find ourselves in a cycle of unbelievable mass shootings, over 125 in the first three months of this year! Ongoing law enforcement shootings and uncalled for uses of deadly force on our black and brown brothers and sisters and shocking violence towards Asians and Pacific Islander sisters and brothers as well as other minorities and women.

And we are witnessing a shocking rise in White Christian Nationalism, which threatens our national values to their very core.

There is so much discord in our world, in our country and even in our lives in general, for many of us, we ask ourselves, how do we hold it together?

I believe that the way we hold it together is through maintaining a conscious connection and awareness of the presence of the risen Christ within us and with us at all times, even when we can’t seem to feel that divine presence and we feel like we are running out of hope. Even in the midst of chaos Christ is still there, still loving us through our darkest moments. This is at the heart of the Gospel message -- we are never abandoned by God.

Our discipleship calls us to stand up to the discord and injustices of the world, to speak out on behalf of the abused --those denied justice and those whose voices are ignored or silenced. We are able to do this through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Risen Christ who has promised to remain with us for all time.

How or when have I let the power of the Holy Spirit’s presence within me shine through, guiding my thoughts and actions? Jesus spoke of pruning…what pruning might I need to allow Jesus to do, to make my life more Christ centered that I might abide in his love more fully and share that love with others through my daily decisions and actions?
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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 an ancient cavern 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 postmodern mostly urban culture of the West, this image may well seem a bit arcane and less accessible than it was to our ancestors in the faith.

It is quite interesting to note that Jesus is depicted, through the use of this image, as a shepherd, one who was, in that time and in that culture, relatively unimportant and certainly not a powerful figure in his culture. 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 many common images of deities in general as distant and disinterested, and sometimes even vengeful gods.

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…to be ”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 our society dismisses or demeans or outright abuses. Good shepherds actively work for true racial justice and an end to white supremacy. Good shepherds seek to be allies to the oppressed and the marginalized, to the immigrant and the refugee. They seek to build harmony and peace in their families, schools, places of work and their neighborhoods and their nation.

And as we prepare to celebrate Earth Day on Monday, we recognize that truly “good shepherds” also recognize the importance of creation and the 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 the way we live impacts the earth and the lives of all other creatures, and the very planet itself.

How am I being called to be a “good shepherd” in my family, in my school, my place of work, in my community, in my nation, in the wider world? What am I willing to do, to risk “as a good shepherd” for the sake of “the flock”…for the sake of creation…for the sake of building up of the Reign of God?
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Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim

In today’s Gospel Jesus ask the disciples “why are you troubled”? ….WHY ARE THEY TROUBLED? I think 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 is 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 our 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, 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 injustice and the immigration and refugee crisis, in the middle of the environmental crisis, in the midst of family disputes or conflict…how can I 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? This is central to our discipleship, that we -- each one of us -- preach the “Good News” that we are the “beloved of God”! That we are never abandoned, no matter how sad or lonely or troubled we feel. We are never left alone -- our God is with us -- whether we feel that Divine presence or not; God is within us and surrounds us with this Divine Love! Regardless of the particular situations of our lives, we are deeply and passionately loved by God, each and every one of us, without exception! That my sisters and brothers is the “Good News” of Jesus Christ, so let us embrace this transformative truth, and share this Good News, with everyone, especially with those who feel troubled!

Easter Blessings,
​Fr Tim