Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Dear Folks

Two weekends ago Mother Teresa was canonized. As a saint of our times, many folks met or heard her speak, but few “tackled” her. Let me explain.

In the Summer of 1995, Mother came to D.C. to receive the profession of final vows of some of her sisters. Everyone wanted to see her. I was a seminarian at the time and I went to the Mass with a priest friend. After Mass, we used our collars to work our way back into the sacristy. It was packed like sardines with clergy. Having played rugby, I was good a pushing my way through crowds, so I worked my way to a position directly behind the future saint. As she chatted with the Cardinal Archbishop, I waited patiently.

Disastrously, as she finished chatting with him, she started turning and moving in a direction directly opposite of the path I was blocking. She was not going to see me. I seized the  moment, and the Saint. Firmly placing my hand on her shoulder, I made sure that she turned around to see me. Some say that I spun her around, others still tease me about tackling a Saint! Hyperbole, yes, but worth it because….

As I got her undivided attention, I said, “Mother, I am a seminarian. Please pray for me.” She was so kind, inviting me to visit her sisters in Calcutta, asking my name, and insisting that  write my name on a piece of paper so that she could remember it and pray for me.

This weekend is Parish Life Weekend. Prayerfully consider how the Lord wants you to share your time and talent with your brothers and sisters in Christ. I hope the Lord doesn’t have to tackle you to get your attention.

pax,

fr mosimann

Dear Folks,

Ahhhh… Football season is upon us, which leads to refrains of: “Are you blind Ref ?*@!?” Have you ever screamed this from the upper deck or in front of your TV? How could he miss that call that is right in front of him? The problem is that this usually amount to a complaint that 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. Even more so, when we do not 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 Redskins please.

Pax et Bonum (peace and all goodness),
Fr. Mosimann

Dear Folks,

“How do I pray, Father?”

Wow, what a question…. but one that I hear from time to time and know that others are thinking, but afraid to ask.

Yes, all of us can hear the whispers, ‘you’re not good at this,’ ‘you don’t have time,’ ‘you are too tired,’ or ‘but you will be miserable.’ So three simple thoughts on how to establish a prayer life:

1. Start small.

Simple principle, if you try to start too big, you are susceptible to failure and giving up. As you grow closer to Him step by step, He will strengthen your efforts. If you’re not used to praying a full rosary, start with a decade. Work your way up to the full rosary, taking small steps.

2. Spread it through your day.

It’s amazing how the prayers add up. By using times / places (meals or the commutes to/from work) to trigger a reminder to prayer, you can stay close to Him the whole day.

3. Just do it.

Excuses are excuses. I like the saying, the perfect is the enemy of the good. When your children hand you a drawing, to you criticize them because it falls short of Rembrandt? How much more does God love our honest, and sometimes feeble, efforts to turn to Him.

Pax et Bonum,

Fr. Mosimann

Dear Folks,

“Prayer is, at root, simply  paying attention to God.”

— Dr. Ralph Martin,  The Fulfillment of All Desire, p. 121.

Such a wonderful image: paying attention to God. Imagine that, so simple, yet so often overlooked. Haven’t we all been involved in one sided conversations that we look to escape? It is good that the Lord is patient with us. I sometime describe recollection (which is the necessary preparation of the soul for prayer) as letting the mind settle and quiet down.

We must live Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” This “paying attention to God” struck me as the opposite of the TwitterSphere—a place where everyone strives to tweet out pearls so that “followers” can reap their wisdom and wit. Twitter strikes me as the soul crying out to the world, “Pay attention to me—but I don’t want to hear what you have to say!”

On the other hand, technology can be a great assist. Years ago I visited a man in the hospital. Upon his passing, his wife gave me a little painting that he painted of an angel. I snapped a picture with my phone, and set the angel as the lock screen that I saw every time I looked at my phone. Thus I remembered and prayed for this man and his grieving wife every day for several months.

I began to change my phone picture every 3 months or so— as soon as I would stop noticing the picture there. This got me thinking, why not use this changing image as a daily or weekly reminder of the specific feast day, or special intention of the day or week. Now I can turn every time I glance at my phone into a moment to remember the Lord, and you.

This week I set my phone to a picture of the Holy Cross Academy Staff. Thus I will see, and remember our school every time I turn on my phone for the next month!

There are countless ways throughout the day where we can take a moment and pay attention to God and countless ways we can remember one another. Momentary aspirations, a quick thought sent heavenward, a look of love.

I am going to use my phone to pay better attention to God and you. And that is a prayer.

Pax et bonum,

Fr. Mosimann