Divine Connection – Raised Catholic 175

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Raised Catholic Podcast episode.

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Today is episode 175: Divine Connection

Hi friends. Recently I heard a homily which began with the concept of ubuntu, an African value system that underlines the universal bond that each of us shares with everyone in the human family. Translated as “I am because you are,” ubuntu highlights our interconnectedness and the simple but profound truth that we belong to each other.

This is a truth that can be easy to forget in these times which can be so divided in our culture, our country, our world, and even our church.

Jesus emphasized the call to unity in the Book of John when He said,

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

So, our unity is the metric by which the whole world will know that Jesus was sent by the Father and that we are loved as He is loved. That seems like a pretty big deal, and I’m wondering, how do you think we’re doing with that these days?

Jesus spoke further about our interconnectedness when He said,

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

We grow out of the love of God as we are rooted in Him, and this shared origin creates our collective ecosystem, our human family. Together, we’re a Body with Christ at the head and all of us are critical to fulfilling His mission in love. As I get older, I can see some of how He has connected me with other people, other parts of the Body and I can see how He has done this for my good and the good of others and for His glory, too. As we said in an earlier episode, God is a master weaver, and He is making an incredible tapestry of all of us in the medium of time. I’ll link that episode for you in today’s show notes.

Last weekend, I found myself connected to several people and groups that I love, and these interactions brought me so much needed laughter, joy, and peace, but they also reminded me of the divine nature behind how we have been connected, of the Providence of God and how He is always at work for us.

On Friday, I taught three joyful classes full of preschool music students. Later that evening, I attended a fundraiser for a local non-profit full of some of the very best people I know. The next day, I voted in our local election where I saw lots of other folks. I connected with a friend over lunch and a movie, and later we had our kids and their partners over for dinner and poker. While they were there, our sweet next-door neighbors also had company and they wildly waved to us in the window until we waved back. They are so darned cute, I love them. It was utter joy.

These are simple things, I know, but when I took a moment to trace exactly how God led me to each of the dozens of people with whom I connected over those two days in my work and family, faith and volunteer and friendship lives over so many years, I just had to shake my head at God’s Providence. So many good people who represent so many of my memories, the lessons I’ve learned, and the pathways through which I have experienced the love of God personally, for me. I hope I have been even a fraction of the blessing to them that they are to me.

One of the readings this past Sunday underlined how the very Hand of God connects us to each other in order to guide us forward. In the Book of Acts, it says,

“When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles, and he reported to them how he had seen the Lord,
and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem,
and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord. He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists, but they tried to kill him.And when the brothers learned of this,
they took him down to Caesarea and sent him on his way to Tarsus.

The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace.

It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the

consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers.”

I love this reading because Saul, though he had experienced radical transformation through an encounter with the Risen Jesus, found himself out of luck and on the outside. It was only when Barnabas brought him into the community and testified on Saul’s behalf that he was welcomed as a fellow disciple. Later, his new ‘brothers’ protected Saul by sending him away from a deadly threat. And as a result, the church was built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers. When you think of the reach of Saul who became Paul, a pillar of evangelization, it is just amazing the fruit that comes from connection. Where would we be without Barnabas?

And our connection, first with God, and then with each other, is also divinely designed to bear so much good fruit both for us and for those around us. As we look back on our lives, we can see how God has intersected us with each other for the good and the seeds that we’ve planted in each other’s lives that have flourished and bloomed in ways that we might not have expected at the time. It is all so good. And as we look forward, we can ask God to make even more connections, to make our lives the most fruitful we can be. And this is a prayer that God always answers. We are a critical part of His amazing plan, to love one another and to reveal God’s love in the world.

What a beautiful plan He has. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be a part of.

Thanks so much for being with me today, friend. If you need me, you can find me on Instagram @kerrycampbellwrites, at Substack at kerrycampbellwrites.substack.com, where I hope you’ll leave a comment on this week’s episode, or on my website at kerrycampbell.org. Thanks so much for rating, reviewing, subscribing and most importantly, sharing this podcast with a friend. That makes a real difference in growing our community, so thanks. If you would like to support this podcast financially, there are a couple of ways for you to do that in the show notes, along with some resources related to today’s episode, so do check all of that out, but before we go, let’s pray together.

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

Jesus, you are the vine and we are the branches. Help us to remain in you and to let your light and love flow through us to a world that really needs it. Thank you for the beauty of how you connect us one to the other and please God, bless our dear ones this week. In the name of Jesus and wrapped in the mantle of Our Mother Mary, we pray, amen.

Thanks so much for listening today, friend. Have a good week ahead and I’ll see you next time.

Show Notes

This week we’re exploring our connection to God and to each other as divinely ordained and planned by God who loves us. I pray this episode is a blessing to you.

Thanks as always to my friend, Peter Vaughan-Vail, for providing the beautiful harp music you hear in this and every episode.

Here are some resources to help you dig into this week’s topic on your own:

1. Raised Catholic ep. 127: ⁠The Great Tapestry of God⁠ (transcript with link to episode)

2. Song: ⁠We Are Many Parts⁠, by Marty Haugen

3. Song: ⁠Vine and Branches⁠, by Trevor Thomson

4. Book: ⁠Chasing Vines: Finding Your Way to an Immensely Fruitful Life⁠, by Beth Moore

5. Book: ⁠Growing Slow⁠, by Jennifer Dukes Lee

6. Video: ⁠Twining Motion of Vines⁠

7. Video: ⁠Time Elapsed Climbing Vines⁠ (a metaphor if ever I saw one)