Announcements:

Click here to download our newsletter Rapport >>
 
Upcoming Events:



Click here to see full calendar >>

 
The Application for the week of
May 7, 2012 - Fifth Sunday of Easter

Meditation: "Are You Connected?"

 Jesus said
  I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener; he cuts off every
  branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear
  fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.... I am the
  vine, you are the branches.

Recently I read the following story about being detached and the needs to be connected:

Once upon a time a man who dropped out of church. He figured he could worship God just as well on his own. A few weeks went by and the minister came to visit. They sat in the living room by the fireplace and made small talk. Then the minister took the tongs and picked up a glowing ember and placed it to one side of the hearth. The two men watched without saying a word. In no time, it began to cool. A few minutes later, the minister picked up the dead ember with his fingers and pitched it back into the fire. Immediately, it came back to life. Without a word, the minister put on his coat and started to leave. The man walked him to the door and said, "That was one of your best sermons. I'll see you in church this Sunday." A branch was grafted on to the vine.


As I said before when we are attached we produce fruit. We all want to do good things, we want to produce the good fruit, but many of us in trying to do good things end up exhausted and burnt out.

This particularly happens to those in the caring professions: doctors, nurses, social workers and the like. Trying to do too much good they may burn out.

Could it be that they are connected to the source of hope, to the source of life, to the source of love, for their neighbours and their world.
Let us think for a moment of what the fruit of the vine really is. Fruit is the excess, the overflow of the life of the plant.
God is a great gardener and he plants and tends and his harvest is fruitful. All we have to do is to remain part of the vine and produce fruit pleasing to Him and good for us and our world. We have only to open ourselves to the light of his word and know his Son Jesus.

Click here to read full text >>