Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Our Lord reminds us today of the importance of remaining connected to Him. To help convey this message, Jesus uses the image of the vine and the branches. Christ says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” He calls you and me to remain connected to Him and He likens that relationship to the vine and branches which grow together. As a branch, you will share in Christ’s very life, the life of the vine, if you abide in Him. If you remain connected to Christ, then you will have life to the fullest. As a disciple seeking to become a saint, that connection with Christ makes sense and deserves our attention and our effort.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In 2012, I was blessed to be able to make a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. The Camino is an ancient pilgrimage route to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela. Although the road was most likely a trade route, the pilgrimage route suddenly became very popular among pilgrims in the Middle Ages. This popularity had everything to do with Saint James, an apostle who brought the Good News of Jesus Christ to Spain and whose body is buried in Santiago.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This past week we celebrated the Solemnity of the Annunciation on Monday. This feast is usually celebrated on March 25, nine months from Christmas. However, because March 25th was in the middle of Holy Week, to allow for an appropriate celebration of the feast, the Church moved our liturgical observance to April 8, avoiding Holy Week as well as the Octave of Easter.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

God’s mercy is available to all of us, no matter how great our sins have been in the past. Just look at King David (who committed adultery and murder) or Mary Magdalene (a prostitute) or the good thief, St. Dimas, or the parable of the Prodigal Son, to name just as few examples. Our Lord wishes us to recognize that His Mercy is greater than our sins so that we call upon Him with trust, receive His Mercy and share that mercy with others. The message of mercy can be broken down into three parts that are as simple to remember as A, B and C.