Dear friend,<\/p>\n
Last weekend we had the Good Shepherd reading from the Gospel of John. There is so much imagery to this reading and so much to ponder looking to Jesus as our shepherd. Jesus truly laid his life down for all of us with the one purpose of helping us get to heaven. This weekend we have John\u2019s Gospel reading of the vine and the branches.\u00a0 Jesus says, \u201cI am the vine and you are the branches.\u201d This is one more example of Jesus using elements of the ordinary world to explain deep spiritual insights. A branch does not exist without the nourishment through the vine. Put simply, we are only truly alive, healthy, peaceful, fulfilled, if we are bound to Jesus. There are many spiritual ways to see this union with Jesus. The Eucharist being the principal means of physical union with Jesus. The Father in Heaven gives the gift of grace to move through our hearts to keep us desiring what only God can provide. Sometimes this is simply peace and joy and sometimes it is real pruning of our hearts to correct our daily living. The point is that union with God both requires a particular way of living, and brings purification from God.<\/p>\n
We have First Holy Communion with our 2nd<\/sup> Grade students this weekend. The second grade year really is special in our educational format. The kids receive first confession and first Communion. These two repeatable sacraments bring a special joy when received the first time. Our kids grow up watching their parents, older siblings and fellow St. Philomena Tigers receive these sacraments. It builds in them a desire for the real gift. One of our students, after practicing receiving an unconsecrated host, told his mom that he thinks the consecrated host will taste different because \u201cit is Jesus.\u201d Our kids learn the power of the Mass and the power of the sacraments. This not only brings a prepared mind and heart to the reception of first confession and first Communion, but also results in real joy when they first receive. The joy and smiles on a 2nd<\/sup> grader after receiving confession and Eucharist the first time is truly precocious. As a priest, it\u2019s one of the great delights of ministry. It\u2019s one of those times, like the day a priest is ordained or a couple gets married, that the joy of that first moment maintains itself into all the future moments. Please pray for our 2nd<\/sup> graders that this beginning to their communion with Jesus in the Eucharist will bring them forgiveness, peace, joy and protection throughout their lives. Have a great week.<\/p>\n God bless,<\/p>\n Father David<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"