Jesus mentions the word “LOVE” four times in a gospel that is only a few sentences long. If you were to look extensively in John’s gospels you would find it many times more.
These gospels are placed in the context of the Easter Season to remind us of the simple truth of God’s unending love for us and that this love is made manifest in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ His ultimate sacrifice for our salvation. However, we are commanded in turn to love one another as God loves us.
The gospel also calls us to discipleship and the sign of this discipleship is love for one another. This too is a repeated message of the Easter Season one which we would do well to heed if we truly wish for the gospel passage to resonate in our lives.
I pray that the discipleship, so evident in our parish, continues to grow and flourish throughout the Easter Season as we make manifest God’s love in our midst and truly serve one another as Christians ought to do.![]()
Dear Parishioners,
I always get a little melancholy around this time when our CCD session ends for the year. I will miss seeing the children scurrying down the hall to their classes greeting their friends and their teachers. I will miss hearing the 1st graders reciting the Our Father, the 3rd graders praying the Rosary, the young middle school students learning the difference between the Assumption and the Ascension, and the 8th graders having deep discussions about making good choices.
As several months will pass until we meet up again, my hope is that our students continue to feel confident and comfortable with their faith, by using it. I hope they continue to receive the Sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation. I hope they continue being involved in social justice by doing for others. Perhaps you could donate unused toys or clothes to a shelter. Think about picking up an extra item or 2 at the grocery store to drop off at the local food pantry.
Today’s Gospel shows a physical Resurrection not just a spiritual one. Jesus says to his disciples, “cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something”. When they did what He had suggested, they came up with 153 fish...that’s an abundance of fish and shows God’s abundant love for us. So to me this shows that Jesus is always there for us even when we do not ask for anything. That He will always show up on the shore, and will invite us to share a meal.
So I hope our students learned from the disciples in today’s Gospel and really listen to Jesus. Do not be afraid to cast those nets into the water and see what goodness you catch.