Fifth Sunday of Easter - April 28, 2024

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Community • April 26, 2024

Dear Friends,

As we continue contemplate on the mystery of the Resurrection during Eastertide, we are given Scripture passages for reflection that center on the appearances of the Risen Lord – on how they affected His disciples and their resulting transformations. Through them, we are invited to fathom the depth of Jesus’ love for us and ours for Him.

On this 5th Sunday of Easter, the remarkable 15th chapter of the Gospel of John grabs our attention. Jesus speaks of His desire for us to be inseparably united with Him. Through the parable of the Vine and its Branches, Jesus uses experiences we all have had in our gardens. We know how trimming, pruning, and fertilizing our plants and trees are crucial to how well they bear fruit. Just as we work so hard to ensure the health of the plants and trees in our garden, so also Jesus pleads with us to do what is essential to keep the sap of our relationship with Him healthy and flowing. He says: “Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches.”

How do we know if we have a healthy relationship with Jesus? One litmus test is to look at how well His words are fulfilled in our lives: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

Evaluating how well we keep His commandments is another way to test whether we truly remain in Jesus. As John says in his first letter(3: 18-24):

Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us. And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us.

The readings today invite us to keep Jesus’ commandments. This will ensure that we remain in Him. The more we spend time cultivating our relationship with Jesus, the more we will bear fruit.

I now draw your attention to two significant spiritual enrichment opportunities taking place in May. I urge you to mark them in your calendar, so that you can attend these events that are designed to help us know in depth the love we have for our Lord.

The first will be presented by Dr. Mary Soha. On Monday, 6 May and Tuesday, 7 May, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Dr. Soha will speak on two themes especially pertinent for us who live in Florida. On Monday, 6 May, her talk is on the History of the Devotion to Our Lady of La Leche and Her Confraternity. Dr. Soha lives next door to the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche in St. Augustine and is an expert on the devotion people have to our Lady. On Tuesday, 7 May, she will give a presentation entitled In Defense of the Eucharist – The Story of the Martyrs of La Florida. Dr. Soha is the Vice-Postulator for the Canonization of the Martyrs of La Florida, and as such she is well versed in the who these martyrs were, what they did, and what is involved in the canonization process.

On 17-18 May, we are offering a 2-Day Weekend Conference on our identity as a son or daughter of God. This Conference is led by two great speakers: Sarah Kaczmarek and Kevin Bailey, who will offer talks on the themes of Identity and Transformation; Intimacy and Hearing God’s Voice; Living the Supernatural Life; and Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Please see the bulletin and our website about how to obtain more information and to register. You must obtain a ticket for this event. I urge you to take advantage of this great opportunity to grow in your identity as sons and daughters of God. Please rush to do so!

Have a Blessed Week!

With love,

Fr. John

< Older Post Newer Post >

First Sunday of Lent, March 9, 2025

March 9, 2025

Dear friends, The holy season of Lent has begun with a glorious Ash Wednesday. It was heartwarming to see our children at the 7 a.m. Mass that day. They wore the cross-shaped ashes on their foreheads to school, proud to show their faith and be silent evangelizers. We are very proud of them! Now that it is Lent, we will offer Stations of the Cross at the Grotto each day of the week except Sunday, including the traditional Stations on Fridays. I urge you to look at the bulletin for all the details about special Masses and other spiritual activities that have been created to support you on your lenten journey. I ask that you take the Lenten Schedule on page 8 and post it where you will remember to look at it. In particular, note the information about the Lenten Mission on March 16-18, the special programing for the Tuesdays of Lent, and the many spiritual activities on Fridays. We can approach Lent as the opportunity to do a spiritual “spring cleaning.” As one good priest reminded me: “Lent is a time to re-read the ‘owner’s manual,’ to tune our ‘engines,’ and to refurbish our ‘vehicles’ – not only for the journey of 40 days but also for the journey of life, the right life–and the right eternity.” God has given us an inexhaustible capacity for the transformation needed for becoming holy. Lent is also that special time of year when we walk with our catechumens and candidates as they prepare to become full members of the Catholic faith during the Easter Vigil. We are called to support them through our prayers and examples of faith. Remember to pray for their sponsors and their families as well. During the Vigil Mass on 8 March, the St. John’s family will join with our catechumens in celebration of the ritual called the Rite of Sending. In this rite, they will be recognized for the progress they have made in their spiritual formation. Then we will send them on to the Rite of Election which will be celebrated by Bishop Noonan the next day, 9 March, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe. We are very proud of the perseverance and dedication of our sisters and brothers . In this Jubilee Year 2025 themed, “Pilgrims of Hope,” it is good to reflect on the words of St. Teresa of Avila about hope and what it accomplishes: “Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end.” On the First Sunday of Lent, we always revisit the scene of the temptation of Jesus in the desert where he spent 40 days fasting and praying. We also recall our ancestors in faith, the ancient Israelites, who for 40 years trudged their way through the desert to the promised land. Jesus, through his patient acceptance of suffering and his rejection of the allurements of the devil, models the correct response in times of adversity and testing. This is in contrast with the ancient Israelites who murmured and complained bitterly about their ordeal. Jesus never swerved from being obedient to his Father; he completely and utterly depended on Him. Let us, too, place complete confidence in the Father during our times of trial, of which there will be many. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, continues to need our prayers. Let us continue to pray for his healing: “O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look favorably on your servant Francis, whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd; grant, we pray, that by word and example he may be of service to those over whom he presides so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to everlasting life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” I take this opportunity to announce that Beth Lowry has joined our parish staff as the new Business Manager. She held the position of bookkeeper in our office some years ago. Beth is well known to many at St. John’s. She and her devoted husband Steve have long been involved in many of our ministries. Beth brings a rich variety of work experience and abilities to her new position, and we wish her a positive and pleasant experience as she takes on this leadership role at St. John’s. Welcome, Beth! Have an inspiring and enriching LENT! With love, Fr. John