Saturday, May 12, 2012

Sunday Gospel Reflection: May 13th 2012


Congratulations to all of our Mount Carmel Confirmation Candidates who will be confirmed Sunday at the 10:15am Mass!

Derek Austin~Mattie Callahan~Ellery Carbone~Madeleine Denebeim~Griffin Diecks
Claire Donohue~Nicole Gamboa~Kendall Hiti~Makena House~Bennett Keane
Olivia Martin~Sheridan Miller~Michael Praszker~Jessie Scarsella~Tommy Searle
Olivia Stahl~William Stock~Marlen Valencia~Kate Vangelos


In last Sunday’s Gospel we reflected on the analogy of the Vine and the Branches. Jesus is the Vine that gives us nourishment and life if we stay connected to Him and grow out of His life, like branches on a vine. It was fitting that in our parish community last Sunday we celebrated 1st Eucharist, for Jesus gave his Apostles the Eucharist so that He might always be with us to nourish us, for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.

In this Sunday’s Gospel we read the continuation of this passage where Jesus directs us to how we stay connected to the Vine: imitating the love of Jesus. This love is not simply a feeling of fondness but a decision to love radically, till it hurts; no one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Jesus is our model of perfect love that we are called to respond to and imitate. Each of us has been set apart, chosen by God for it was not you who chose me, but I who chose you. As the beloved sons and daughters of God we are called to greatness by accepting the invitation of Jesus to be His followers and to love radically as Jesus did.

In the Sacrament of Confirmation this Sunday we celebrate these 19 teenagers in our parish community who, with the support of this community and their sponsors, are responding to God’s personal call. They are dedicating themselves to the love of God by completing their Christian initiation and receiving the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to help them live out the unique mission that God has set out for them. Let us pray for them and for ourselves, that their commitment to God may encourage us and that we might support them through our own faithfulness and witness to God’s radical love. When we say ‘yes’ to what God asks of us it helps others to say ‘yes’ as well. 

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