The vivid horticultural image of the vine & the branches that Jesus uses to describe his relationship to his disciples so appeals to our imagination. It's such a clear image in the context of our celebration of the risen Christ during the Easter season, illustrating that Christ's resurrection is more than an inspiration or an nearby presence, but rather something to which we are integrally connected. The image of the vine and the branches shows how the risen Christ is in close union with us, how he works in us & through us.
I thought of the celebration that we just had over the weekend, commemorating the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, the appearance of the Virgin Mary to three Portuguese children in 1917 on its 100th anniversary. Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for an end to WWI, for sinners, & for the conversion of Russia. The feast of Our Lady of Fatima was approved by the local bishop in Portugal in 1930 to mark the date of the first appearance to these children. The feast has been at part of our Church's worldwide calendar since 2002.
The main message of Fatima is for us to constantly pray. Prayer connects us to God just like we are connected in the metaphor of the vine and the branches. We pray for you today Jai in a very special way. Our prayers are united with the prayers of your family and friends for healing, good health, and wholeness for you. We pray for your doctors and all the medical professional who are helping you. May you feel this strong connection to Jesus and his mother, the blessed Virgin Mary, and may we celebrate today the many ways that Jesus and the Blessed Virgin appear to us in our lives.
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