Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Of whom can it be said, “They do not yet know the love of the Father?”

To get ready for my pilgrimage to Poland, I was reading a book about Karakow, “City of Saints” (written in part by a parishioner, but that is another story!). It described Poland as a land where the drama of the 20th century played out. Poles sometimes say that they are the only nation to lose WW2 twice! Crushed between two totalitarian regimes, but ultimately seeking the triumph of freedom and grace.

This quote from the second Vatican Council speaks to this: “The whole of man’s history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God’s grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity.” Gaudium et Spes 37:2

And the answer from the Lord, was to speak to this age the beauty of His Merciful Love. Vilnius (now Lithuania) played a role in that it was here that the first image of Divine Mercy was painted with encouragement of St. Faustina’s spiritual director. I believe she had several versions painted, because none were able to capture sufficiently the glory of the Lord, which is not a surprise!

The truth that God is Love and Mercy Itself. He invites us to contemplate this mystery, and live in it. They do not yet know the love of the Father? Yet. Let that “yet” be the operative word, as we invite all to come home to the loving Heart of our Lord.

A blessed 4th of July to all this weekend! I will be back next Sunday!

pax,

Father John Mosimann

A special thanks to the HCA school community who gave me early birthday wishes at the last school Mass of the year! Because my bday is in the summer, I had never celebrated my birthday on a school day! I did always love the fact that my birthday was a day of rest, adventure, exploration, and barbecue! I am truly grateful for the outpouring of love from my school family! And some ask, when is your bday? To which I give the slightly cryptic answer, the feast of Saint Kateri! Yes, there is a more widely known French national holiday that day too!

And our children just got through the first week of summer. Is anyone complaining of boredom yet? I remember that every summer of my childhood would be given some summer long task, like painting the fence, or battling the bamboo forest (a real thing in our back yard)! The sense of accomplishment in seeing such work meant that eventually, I wouldn’t be assigned the task because I was already taking ownership of the mowing and trimming of hedges! There was not much boredom in the Mosimann home of the ‘70s!

One of the greatest conversions in history occurred because of boredom. St. Ignatius of Loyal was recovering from a cannonball to the leg, and bedridden. He was bored. Requesting romance novels, he was instead given a book of the lives of the saints. He discovered a love worth living for. A huge part of that was him noticing that in contemplating the life and glory of the saints, that he was filled with lasting peace. Unlike when he filled his time with earthly pursuits that left him bored and empty afterwards. Fulton Sheen speaks to this when he said, “You will never be happy if your happiness depends on getting solely what you want. Change the focus. Get a new center. Will what God wills, and your joy no man shall take from you.”

Another summer highlight was my brother and I going to spend a week or three at my grandmother’s in Pennsylvania! Perspective has revealed that it was also a summer break for mom, but I loved those summers: helping Grandma, and going to Pirates games with my uncle! I still choose 21 as my favorite number in honor of Roberto Clemente!

This Monday I am off to Poland with a pilgrim group of +35! If you want me to pray for your intentions, you can email them to me, or commend them to the Blessed Mother, and I will ask her to obtain favors from Heaven for each of you.

Much of the pilgrimage will involve seeing the original Divine Mercy painting, and shrines of Saints Faustina, JP2, and Maximilian Kolbe! I heard a phrase recently attributed to the Blessed Mother, speaking of her straying children, “They do not yet know the love of the Father.” What a beautiful loving way for Our Lady to look at us! Thanks Mary!

Pax,

Father John Mosimann

Happy Father’s Day, and congratulations to all of our recent graduates!

Fatherhood is a vocation. It is God who calls men to share in His Fatherhood. In my spiritual and sacramental experience of fatherhood, my examples often start from natural fatherhood, most especially that modeled by my dad.

Church law says that the pastor “is to strive to know the faithful entrusted to his care…. sharing in their cares, anxieties and sorrows, comforting them in the Lord.” These words reflect the Church’s vision of the pastor as the spiritual father of the parish family. What beautiful words for all fathers. Fathers are called to know their children, to help their gifts to blossom, and to share burdens and joys. Fathers are stewards of their children, because each child belongs to God. This is an awesome responsibility, and yet God will always give us the grace to exercise the offices given to us.

I often see young couples expressing some of the same awe at the prospect of having a family. They may say, “wow, we are not yet ready. We want to get to know each other better.” Or sometimes they express fears about being able to provide. We all fear our inadequacy, (or at least we should if we have any humility). Yet in Christ, all things are possible. Our fears can melt away in the loving embrace of our Lord. Dads, thanks for sharing in our cares, anxieties, and sorrows, comforting us in the Lord! May you continue to help us to know the Father’s love.

Thank you Dad, for all your love and great examples of generous sacrifice.

Graduates, always know who you are. Remain rooted in the family that the Lord chose for you, and the faith that He entrusted to you. Your Fathers are proud of you!

pax,

Father John Mosimann