Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Pax et Bonum = peace and goodness. I know I have written before about how I started signing emails with this after visiting Assisi and seeing this Franciscan motto of pax et bonum. God is the supreme good, and all peace comes from Him. Then this week, I get into a conversation with my brother-in-law, about the Hebrew word usually translated as peace: shalom.

So here is his summary: “When you break down
the ancient Hebrew spelling of shalom, one possible interpretation would be the following definition: “that which destroys the authority attached to chaos.”

• Shin (sheen) (teeth) – means to destroy
• Lamed (shepherds staff) – authority
• Vav (peg) – attach/join
• Mem (water) – chaos, storms, floods.
• Wow, that is cool! We all need chaos destroyed and banished from our lives.

  Then there is this quote from St. Augustine, “Peace is the tranquility order brings.” Banish chaos, put more order in your life. So many efforts of the modern world are to banish order, tradition, and peace. However, Jesus is the “Prince of Peace” and He gives us peace. Let Jesus give your life order and peace. Because the order and peace He gives is His own.

  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27

  Pax et Bonum and Shalom,

  Father Mosimann

  

  

   

Dear Folks,

Ahhhh… football playoffs are upon us. More than once this has led me to yell at the TV, “Are you blind ref?*@!?” Have you ever screamed this from the upper deck or  in a stadium or at home? The problem is that this usually amounts to a complaint that my team did not get favored treatment and we are not getting our way! We all have seen calls completely blown in sports, but I don’t think I have ever yelled at the TV when the blown call went in favor of MY team!

Temporary blindness can also be tragic with more serious consequences than a sporting event. A blind spot while driving can lead to a serious accident. Not seeing one key fact may change the entire meaning of events, or relationships that we hold most dear.

Or politics? The proliferation of information sources means that we are even less in agreement about what is real news and what is fake news. This week our governor announced a rollback of mask mandates for Virginia. As this goes to press, we are awaiting direction from the Bishop to see how this will affect policies in our school, religious education and parish. Listen for announcements at Masses this weekend. No matter how the decisions fall, thank you for your patience and understanding. If we always took more time to understand the opinion of our neighbors, instead of rushing to condemn, the world would be a better place.

But blindness is most serious when it is willed; when we refuse to see the most serious matter for our eternal lives: sin. Sin is often described as darkness in the soul, so it makes sense that it would blind us. How can we see in the dark? We need light to see clearly. Paul says to the Ephesians: “Brothers and Sisters: You were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light…” This is much of the work of Lent, opening our eyes to the true light that illuminates the path to Heaven. Not only does Christ enable us to see, but then we in turn become the light to the world living in darkness.

I know that my guardian angel is much more patient when I fail to see my own sin. I don’t imagine him yelling at me, “Father, are you blind?” Instead he kindly intercedes for me, and obtains graces to open my eyes!

And Jesus, help the Washington Football team please. We are a mess.

Pax et Bonum (peace and all goodness),

Father John Mosimann