A Spiritual Communion

^5th Sunday of Easter
In absence of the celebration of Mass, please join us in this prayer which unites us to Christ and to each other at Saint Hubert.

O sing a new song to the Lord,
for he has worked wonders;
in the sight of the nations
he has shown his deliverance, alleluia!
cf. Ps 98:1-2

Opening Our Heart to God
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Lord, I know you are with me. I come to you today, as I am, and ask you to forgive me for all I have done or failed to do in my relationship with You and others. 

Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth, peace to people of good will!

Opening Prayer
Almighty ever-living God,
constantly accomplish the Paschal Mystery within us,
that, under your protective care,
we may bear much fruit
and come to the joys of eternal 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.

The Word of God: The Words of Life
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050221.cfm

First Reading: Acts 9:26-31
As the Christian community grows, the apostles are reluctant at first to accept Paul as a disciple, until Barnabas took charge of him and became his advocate.

Psalm 22 
I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

Second Reading: 1 John 3:18-24
We remain in Christ, and He in us, when we love one another and follow his commands.

Gospel: John 15:1-8
Jesus compares our relationship to him like branches connected to a vine. The vine has everything the branches need to grow and develop.

Watch a word-by-word translation of the gospel as depicted in the move, The Gospel of John.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc3gfc1fchA


A Reflection by Fr. Mike
In any kind of good relationship, it’s hard not to respond when someone says they want to stay with us, or remain with us, or simply want us around in their lives.

Parents know this. Spouses understand it. Children need it. Good friends experience it. Many times, it goes unspoken because it’s understood. But when it is said, when someone asks us to be there for them and with them, we find a way. It’s like when someone asks us to pray for them; we take the time to actually say the prayer.

And today, Jesus is saying out loud that he wants us not just to remain with him, but something even deeper: to remain in him. And so, Jesus uses the example of a vine and branches to help us understand what our relationship with him is meant to be.

One of the oldest living grapevines in the world is over 250 years old and can be found in Great Britain in Hampton Court. This grapevine has one root which is about 13-feet around, and some of the branches are over 120 feet long. But even though it’s extremely old, the vine still produces about 600 pounds of grapes each year and is healthy—mainly because it’s tended to and cared for by the vine grower. The branches are able to bear fruit year after year because they’re connected to the vine that gives them life.  (Click here to hear from the vine growers who tend to the vine in Hampton Court.)

Jesus is telling us he is that vine, that gives life. The branches literally “branch out” from the vine itself, and that’s us. We’re the branches that are meant to grow the fruit that can be enjoyed by others. The one who tends to the vine is the vine grower, which Jesus says is God the Father. It’s a metaphor that describes the spiritual life. When we say the spiritual life, it is the life within us, the life that we know God has access to; it’s where God finds us and we find God. It’s more than a remaining with him, which can be superficial, but a remaining in him, which is lifegiving and even life changing.

But I have to admit, there’s one part in his parable that I tend to avoid each time I read this passage. It’s the part where Jesus talks about “pruning”. The one who prunes is the vine grower, who is God the Father. Jesus says God removes the branches that don’t produce any fruit, but God also prunes the ones that do so that they will produce more fruit.

If I’m honest, I don’t want to think about being pruned because it sounds painful, uncomfortable, and something that is hard to face. But every good gardener will tell you that if you want healthy trees, bushes, plants or vines, you need to tend to them and pruning is a part of it.  That’s because pruning creates something healthier.

My dad was a big gardener and one of the kinds of plants he liked to plant in containers were petunias. He showed me that to keep the plant healthy all season, every now and then you’d just need to pinch off the flowers that were fading before they turned to seed, and then to trim any of the stems that were growing that got a little too leggy—even if they had a flower on it and on the surface looked ok. But in doing this, the plant would actually become healthier and grow even more flowers as it developed. It was good for the plant.

In the spiritual life, through prayer and reflection, God will call attention to those things or habits or behaviors that cause us to focus inward, to move us to the kinds of things that focus us outward, because there’s a lot more life and fulfillment in it. We most likely would rather be with someone who shows kindness, goodness and self-control—which are the fruits of a healthy spiritual life--over someone who shows pride, greed, envy and wrath, which are some of the deadly sins that cut us off from God and others.

For me, this past year through this time of pandemic, has in some ways felt like a time of pruning. Our routines, our patterns of doing things, even our worship life all of a sudden changed. What was once routine, wasn’t.

But it may also have allowed us to take a hard look at our lives, our choices, our time commitments, and even our attitudes about priorities and the role of faith in our lives and in the life of our family. In other words, maybe because we were turned upside down, it gave us a chance to notice somethings in ourselves that could be pruned, cut away, trimmed, and attended to; things that God was leading us to see.

And as a result, we have begun to make healthier and wiser choices. Maybe we’ve begun to find more patience in the midst of so much impatience in this world. Or maybe we are finding more ways to be kind in the midst of so much mean spiritedness out there. Or maybe we’ve been allowing more goodness to shine through us in our words and actions.

And maybe this time away from the church building has helped us to see that Mass isn’t just something we go to and take for granted, but really something we now long for and need because we see it really is a way to experience the kind of intimate relationship that is possible with God, which is most fully experienced in the Eucharist. The Eucharist connects us to the vine, to Christ, the source of our spiritual life.

Jesus is the strength we can draw on during difficult times. He is the spark of light and hope that helps us deal with the darkness around us. He is the one who simply wants to walk with us through the ups and downs we experience. And he is the one who asks us, out loud, to remain not just with him but in him.

And it leads to growth—an awareness that we can produce the good fruit that those around us want and need, just like we need them: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  These are the good fruits of a healthy spiritual life that flows from the vine.

Consider sharing some of your own perspectives or spend some time in personal reflection. What are some ways you feel God is helping you become healthier from a spiritual perspective?

All I Believe
As part of the Easter Season, the Church encourages Catholics around the world to profess the most ancient creed of our faith, The Apostle’s Creed.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son Our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body
and life everlasting.
Amen

The Prayers of the Faithful
Good and gracious God, in union with my brothers and sisters at St. Hubert, we bring our prayers to you.

• For the Church, to be the light of Christ to a darkened world, we pray to the Lord.

• For all world leaders to look for peaceful outcomes to all international conflicts, and for our country’s leaders to work diligently to respect human life in all its stages from conception to natural death, we pray to the Lord.

• For our First Communicants to remain with Christ as they come to grow in greater understanding of God’s presence, we pray to the Lord.

• For our community, that will continue to use social media responsibly, we pray to the Lord.

• For those suffering from depression or anxiety, that they find a path to healing and contentment, and for the sick and injured, that they will receive comfort and healing, including John Cox, Robert Zayia, Josie Nieves, Jeff Lemberger, Rhic Tolentino, Gabe Palombit, Michael Saltar, Judy Wilson, and those around the world struggling from COVID-19 and other serious illness, and for those for whom you would like to pray, we pray to the Lord.

• For those who have died to rejoice knowing that whoever believes in Jesus Christ has eternal life, including those who have lost their lives to acts of violence and COVID-19, and for Barbara Gordy, Tony Zervos, Delores Thomas, Jayson Nacorda, Lawrence Hickey, and those you would like to remember, we pray to the Lord.

• For those mentioned in our book of Prayer intentions, for your own needs, and for those for whom we are offering Masses for this weekend: Rosemary Voncina, Helen Wiesolek, Shirleyann Bradshaw, Tammy Joyce, Daniel Burke, The Ordination Class of 1961, Joseph McCormack, Tadeusz Siek, Anna Paremba and Patricia Madden, we pray to the Lord.

A Spiritual Offering
During the Mass, we bring up gifts of bread and wine and thank God for them, because he gave them to us. Those gifts are then returned to us. God gives himself to us through Jesus Christ.  What do you offer to God today of yourself, that can be returned as a gift to others?  Who would you like to remember or offer this time of prayer for?

Longing for Communion
As we contemplate our desire to have Jesus Christ in our life, we prepare our hearts—knowing the angels and the saints are in communion with the One we long to be with.  Let us lift up our hearts to the Lord.

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
at all times to acclaim you, O Lord,
but in this time above all
to laud you yet more gloriously,
when Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.

For with the old order destroyed,
a universe is cast down is renewed,
and integrity of life is restored to us in Christ.

Therefore, overcome with paschal joy,
every land, every people exults in your praise
and even the heavenly Powers, with the angelic hosts,
sing together the unending hymn of your glory,
as they acclaim:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

The Prayer that Unites Us
United with my brothers and sisters at St. Hubert and with Catholics around the world, with one voice we pray the prayer Jesus teaches us to pray together.

Our Father, who art in heaven…

A Time for Peace
Lord, Jesus Christ,
You said to your apostles, “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you”.
Please graciously grant peace to all of us,
to those in our family
and to everyone in our parish.
Allow us to be of one mind and heart.
Allow us to be an instrument of your peace.

(If praying with others, offer a sign of peace to one another.)

Spiritual Communion
As we long for the Eucharist, we long to be with Christ and share in his life.  Let us spend some moments now in prayer uniting our life to the life of Jesus Christ.  (You may even want to look upon a crucifix or hold it, or look upon an image or statue of Jesus Christ.)

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament.
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there,
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.

The Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
Within your wounds hide me.
Permit me not to be separated from you.
From the wicked foe, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me
and bid me come to you,
that with your saints, I may praise you
for ever and ever.  Amen.

An alternate suggestion, among many, for those who may want to experience a more contemplative form of prayer is to be conscious of your breathing.  Slowly breathe in.  As you hold your breath for a second or two, picture Jesus Christ or even his name in your mind.  Then slowly breathe out. You can repeat this type of spiritual exercise until you are ready to close in prayer. This can be done as easily with children as with adults.

A Closing Prayer
Graciously be present to us, O Lord,
and lead us to see you in the places you dwell.

As we seek this spiritual communion
and your presence through
our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
we pray, that you will protect us in these uncertain times,
give us the hope we need day by day,
strengthen our desire to help one another,
and keep our St. Hubert Parish community close to You.

We long to be together again to worship you
at your altar of praise.

Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Going Forth
Thank you, Lord, for this time we have shared.
I know you are with me.

You are alive in our world and in our Church,
and I long to feel your presence.
Walk with us as we walk together in faith, hope and love.

In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.