“Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.” John 15:4
For True Vine Sunday we hear the beautiful parable of the True Vine. The parable of the Good Shepherd and the parable of the True Vine are what we call Christological parables, parables that help us explore the question “Who is Jesus?” Montessori would refer to these two presentations or parables as the “Great Lessons” and Rebekah Rojcewicz referred to them as the “Lynch Pens” in her book “Life in the Vine: The Joyful Journey Continues.” What this means is that from these two parables everything that we do in our atria, and therefore in our spiritual lives, we are able to build off from these two parables. Over the last 60+ years in the atria the children have revealed to us the importance of these two parables in all of our spiritual lives.
We have invited Tim Bell to join us on the podcast today to speak about his work tending vines to shed new light on this important parable.
Tim Bell has received formation in all levels of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, including participation in the seminal Infant-Toddler formation in Wales. He has primarily served as a level 3 catechist in St. Helena, CA. His wife, Jennifer Bell, is a catechist and formation leader, and his daughter, Emma, has also served as a level 1 catechist. Tim also was blessed with the opportunity to assist his wife at a level 1 formation in Rome given to the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity in 2019.
Tim’s vocation is winemaker. He has made wine in Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, and the Central Coast of California. Currently he is winemaker at Dry Creek Vineyard. You can find some of the fruits of his labor at www.drycreekvineyard.com. Tim and Jennifer live in Santa Rosa, CA, and love immersing themselves in nature, especially when paddling their kayaks.
Links to purchase the following books
Life in the Vine: The Joyful Journey Continues: https://app.etapestry.com/cart/CatechesisGoodShepherd/default/item.php?ref=628.0.1178214665
Ways to Nurture the Relationship with God: https://app.etapestry.com/cart/CatechesisGoodShepherd/default/item.php?ref=628.0.449804387
Learn more about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at www.cgsusa.org
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