From the Pastor – Sep. 24, 2017

If you have ever been in a vineyard, then you know the care that the workers take so that the vines will produce an abundance of grapes. If you have never been in a vineyard or seen a grape vine, then you may be unaware of the care that goes into the growing of the grapes.
The vines have to be trimmed at the right time in the right way or else they die, what is called going blind. They are  re-utilized  and  watched  over,  making  sure  they  are  given  enough  water  and  whatever  else  is  needed  to  help  them  produce  the  grapes  at  the  right  time.  The  grapes  may  be  used  for  the  making  of  wine,  jelly  and  other   products.  When  there  is  an  abundance  of  grapes  at  the  harvest,  the  owner  of  the  vineyard  and  the  workers  are  happy that all their efforts and work produced as many grapes as possible.
As  careful  and  vigilant  as  the  workers  in  the  vineyard  are,  that  is  how  careful  Jesus  is  with  us.  He  gives  us  the  message of his Word, feeds us with the Eucharist, and leads us by the Spirit, hoping that we will understand the impact he has in our lives. Then, he sends us forth to care for others so that we become fellow workers in the vineyard of the world. Our mission is to help make the kingdom of God a reality for all the people we meet each day. Sometimes this requires a lot of time, energy and a willingness to enter into dialogue with others. Yes, it is time consuming, but if we are to be faithful to the call of the Lord, our only response is to say “yes” to him and to others.
Some of us may become weary, though, wondering if it is all worth the effort we make. When we see how others respond to us, then we know it is all worthwhile. Building the kingdom requires all our efforts because we have all accepted this responsibility by virtue of our baptism.  Hopefully, as we have grown as adults, we have come to see the importance and seriousness of this responsibility. It also means that we have grown in grace and wisdom with our God, who has shown us the way to one another through Jesus, his Son.  Imagine if the vineyard workers had not done their job and there was no wine to consume. How disappointed we would be. It works the same way if we fail to help bring God’s kingdom closer to those we meet each day!
Next Sunday, there is a 5k race in Springfield. The time is between 9:00 and 11:00am. While the runners will  not  pass  the  church,  no  cars  will  be  allowed  to  access  the  church  for  Mass.  The  runners  will  pass  Chisholm  and  proceed  to  Mountain  Ave.,  on  toward  the  high  school.  If  you  are  planning  to  come  to  church  for  the  9:00  and  10:30  Masses,  please  make  appropriate  adjustments  when  driving.  South Springfield Ave. will be closed between Mountain/Milltown and Meisel Avenues.  This may cause some confusion, but please be attentive to the police as you make your way to the church.
HAPPY AUTUMN!!!
~ FR. JOE