V Sunday of Easter: reflection – Fr. John Marshall, St. John the Baptist, Milwaukie, OR
0My dear friends in Christ,
For the past two months, it has been very exciting to see more and more of you, our parishioners, and friends return to the celebration of Holy Mass on Sunday. I hope to see these numbers continue to increase as more and more people are getting vaccinated. In addition to the tragic loss of life that COVID-19 has inflicted on the whole world, this pandemic has also harmed the spiritual and sacramental life of many Catholics. Many have gone without the Eucharist for over a year. Being removed and deprived of the source and summit of our Christian life has dire and grave consequences. We were not meant to go so long without receiving the Body and Blood of the Lord. Sadly, some have been duped by the Evil One in believing that since they have gone this long without the Eucharist, that they don’t need it. Heartbreakingly, going so long without the Eucharist will ultimately lead to a profound desolation. The symptoms of this desolation are fear and isolation, which is exactly where the Evil One wants all of us to be.
I mentioned in my reflection and Sunday homily last Sunday that the deepest yearning of the human heart is to belong. Last Sunday, Jesus applied the image of the Good Shepherd to illustrate that we will only satisfy that longing of belonging by being part of His flock. This Sunday, Jesus again uses a familiar image of vine and branches to teach us that if we belong to Him, we will find fulfillment: “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. 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. 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. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.”
Jesus wants us to live but we cannot live without Him, just as the branch cannot live without the vine. It is through the Sacraments of the Church that we are given life, especially the Eucharist.
For the Sunday Masses of May 16th, we will celebrate with over fifty of our children and their families their First Holy Communion. Their First Communion should help refresh and invigorate our desire for the Eucharist. The words of Jesus in the Gospel are fulfilled when we approach Him at Holy Communion. For those who have gone too long without the Eucharist, I invite you to return to the source and summit of your Christian life. Let us approach the Eucharist at each Holy Mass as if it is our first and our last.
Happy Easter! God bless you all!