Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,
In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus speaks of how we become spiritually fruitful: “Remain in me, as I remain in you.” At Baptism we receive sanctifying grace which causes the Holy Trinity to live in us; therefore, Jesus can say, “as I remain in you.” If we are living in the state of grace, God isn’t sometimes close and other times far from us; rather, God remains always in the deepest part of our being. It only seems from our perspective that there is at times some distance between God and us; in reality, there is none at all.
Now, how about the first part: “Remain in me?” During our day, many things distract us from the interior presence of the Holy Trinity; this varies from the most mundane distraction (What do I want for dinner?) to the most serious (Should I change jobs?). God calls us to continual recollection in the midst of our daily lives. We must repeatedly go deep inside to be with the God who dwells in us through sanctifying grace. One of the books that I often go back to for fresh insight and inspiration is Von Hildebrand’s Transformation in Christ. He writes of recollection:
The importance of recollection for the process of transformation in Christ need hardly be pointed out. Without it, there is no full and valid life rooted in the depths and consequently, there can be no genuine, essential, and deeply rooted transformation. Without recollection, all good resolutions—all honest endeavors to overcome a defect or to achieve a supernatural transfiguration of natural virtues—are bound to remain impotent and sterile.
We often find ourselves trying to make resolutions and changes in our life. It is so easy to fall into the mistake of focusing on the externals: stop doing this thing or try harder to do the other thing. Jesus reminds us that the key to bring about true change and to bear spiritual fruit is by remaining in him. We must recollect ourselves frequently throughout our day so that we live from our core identity of beloved children of the Father, members of Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit.
Please continue to support our parish pantry as the food reserves from week-to-week remain very low. Over the next few weeks, over 300 young people from our parish will receive the sacraments of Baptism, first Communion and/or Confirmation. This is an immense grace and a huge endeavor on the part of so many catechists, volunteers and parish staff. Please keep our children and teens who will receive the fullness of Christian initiation in your prayers!
In Christ,
Fr. Dave
