Dear St. Valentine Parish Member,

Each year, we have an opportunity to Unleash the Gospel through our support of the Catholic Services Appeal. The 37^th Annual CSA is now underway, and I am writing to ask you to once again reflect on God’s many gifts to you and in a spirit of Christian stewardship live out our theme of Opening Doors to Grow with Christ.

As many of you know each parish makes a contribution to the Archdiocese, to support various ministries and services the Archdiocese provides to catholic schools, parishes and programs that need support.

Our CSA goal for 2018 is $43,673.00. You have always been generous in the past so I would like to appeal to you this year too to help us meet our goal. Know that any contribution you make is most welcomed and deeply appreciated.

Please pick up your envelope in the vestibule in the back of church today after the Mass. Enclosed you will find a pledge card and a special envelope.  As you fill out the pledge cards please select the giving schedule that is most convenient to you.  You may return the cards and envelope to the Rectory or drop it off in the collection basket over the next few weeks. Please make your checks payable to “St Valentine Church – CSA”.

Thank you in advance for all that you are to the parish and for all the support that you give. May God Bless you for your generosity! 

Yours in Christ, 

Fr. Socorro,

Happy 19th Anniversary to the Priesthood!

This Sunday’s gospel today gives us one of the most striking images of the NT. Jesus is speaking to his disciples. He says, “I am the true Vine and you are the branches, my Father is the Vine grower, remain in me as I remain in you.” But he also tells us that there are unfruitful branches. They are taken away, cut off. Note that these are attached branches. They differ from the unattached branches (vv. 4-6). Jesus said that they are “in me,” but they have a problem: they bear no fruit.

 The unfruitful branches did become attached to Christ. They did have some organic relationship to Him. There was a time, a point, when they began to bud and sprout. They even grew into branches. They… listened to Jesus and the gospel, opened their ears, made a profession, were baptized, seem capable of bearing fruit, appeared to be fruitful branches.

The branches are unfruitful. They are “in” the vine, a part of it, but they simply bear no fruit. What does this mean? An unfruitful branch does not relate enough to Christ; they do not draw enough nourishment from Him, to draw life, to bear fruit, to continue in the Vine. Unfruitful branches are not genuine enough to bear fruit. Their profession is… more profession than possession, more pretending than being, more deception than truth, more counterfeit than real. Unfruitful branches become apostate and deserters – men and women who abandon the faith.

 God will “cut off” the unfruitful branches. The word  cut off means to take away and to remove. In relation to the vine, the branch is pruned removed, and taken away. This is a severe warning to every branch, “in” the vine, to make sure his profession is genuine enough to bear fruit.

 Scripture says at least two things about the judgment of unfruitful branches that sin. First, the unfruitful branches that sin are cut off and removed from the Vine and destroyed by fire. Secondly, the unfruitful branches that sin are chastened and disciplined by being cut off and removed through spiritual death.

The point must be heeded; for Scripture gives severe warnings to believers, that is, to the branches “in’ the Vine. The branches must make sure they are bearing fruit or else face severe judgment.