A group of educators in our country wanted to honor Albert Schweitzer, and they brought him to America. He was a minister and physician and had volunteered to be a missionary doctor in the poorest places of Africa. The University of Chicago planned to give him an honorary degree. When his train arrived, the university leaders ran to greet him warmly and they told him of their joy in having him here in America. But then as they turned to leave the train station, suddenly Albert was gone! He just disappeared, vanished, slipped away! They looked everywhere for him. Finaly, they found him. He was carrying a suitcase for an elderly woman. He saw that she was having trouble and rushed over to help her. You see, it was so much a part of his life to be a servant for others that it was natural for him when he got off the train to begin immediately to look for somebody to help. That was his approach to life... and he learned that from the Bible. He learned that from Jesus. Albert Schweitzer loved to help other people because he was strongly connected to Christ – he developed a servant mentality. The university officials were so moved by his example that they too began looking to find someone whose suitcase they could carry. In today’s Gospel, Jesus says to His disciples that “I am the true vine, and you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him/her will bear much fruit…” Isn’t that true for us as well. We believe that if we stay connected to Christ the vine, we will develop that servant mentality. We will actually begin to look for people who need help and offer our services. Staying connected to Jesus is the foundation of our Christian life. Each time we come to Mass we strive to strengthen our connection to Him. We want to be faithful servants of the Lord in our daily lives. Yet we know how easy it is to weaken that connection, when our hearts and minds drift to other concerns or activities that take us over. We need to invite Jesus to “remain in me” on a regular basis. What can I do this week to invite Jesus to “remain in me?”     ~ Fr. John