theROCK

A Mother's Love

You can never repay a mother’s love.

While it may not occur as often as we would like, there are some homilies we never forget. For me, one of these homilies was given by Fr. Ken Omernick, pastor of St. Charles in Hartland. His opening words were: You can never repay a mother’s love.

It’s true, our mothers do so much for us that it is impossible to repay them. They give us life itself, nurture and raise us, support us, perhaps most importantly, worry for us and give us a glimpse of what unconditional love is.

That is why when I heard from Fr. Ken that I could never repay my mother for her love, a lightbulb went on in my head. Because I had been trying to repay her, I bought gifts, dinners, flowers, chocolate, all trying to repay the debt, to get even, but nothing I did ever seemed to bring me closer to that goal of repaying my mother for her love.

Mothers provide a revelation and experience of God no other person can provide: being loved by someone unconditionally and whose love I did not earn or deserve, but is freely given. A love that cannot be paid back. Mothers in a unique way give us the love of God. In this mother-child relationship they prepare us to receive the unconditional love of God himself, which can also never be repaid. Mothers prepare us for relationship with God.

Which is why it is fitting to celebrate Mother’s Day in the month of May which is dedicated to our heavenly mother Mary. Sadly, some of us may not have had a mother as we would have hoped. A broken world will have broken mothers, if we never experience the unconditional love of a mother, we will never fully receive the unconditional love of God. We will spend our life trying to repay, to get even with God. Our relationship with Him will always be transactional.

So God gives us a mother, his very own, Mary. Who loves us as only a mother can do, unconditionally, without our deserving of it. That is why Mary is so important in our Faith and in our life, she prepares us for God. The more we grow in our relationship with Mary and our love for her, the more she will lead us closer to God. Mary provides us the unconditional love of a mother we may not have had in our own life.

This is the love we celebrate this weekend. Whether we receive this love from our biological mother or our spiritual mother, the love is same. A love that is life giving, nurturing, supportive, sacrificial, unconditional, and maybe even with a touch of worry, in short, we celebrate a mother’s love, a love that can never be repaid.

Missing Trains

While I have not read many of his works, the author G. K. Chesterton is one of my favorites. Not only because his writings have led some to call him the “Apostle of Common Sense,” but also because he lived in the present moment. There is no better example of this than a recurring incident in his life: 

Whenever Chesterton had to step out of the house, he used public train transportation. While he waited for his train, he would often become intrigued by a nearby bookstand and casually begin reading. Inevitably, Chesterton would become so engrossed in the book that not only would he miss his train, he would begin walking. To where? Who knows, he sure didn’t! This occurred so often that the owner of the bookstand had a running account with Chesterton, as the author would walk away having not paid for the very book in his hands.

While some could interpret his actions as irresponsible and rude to those for whom he had appointments, I admire and even desire Chesterton’s ability to live in the present moment. We live such scheduled lives, even if nothing is on the calendar. From the moment we wake up, we run from appointment to appointment and stress over the thought of missing any of these “trains.”

When I finally have a chance to catch my breath, I wonder if this is what life is all about. I doubt it, for it is often when I miss the “train” that the beauty of life reveals itself. The times when I am hurrying to the church for business only to be stopped by school kids chanting my name to play sharks and minnows. When I am rushing to that meeting and a couple asks me to bless them on their wedding anniversary numbering twice my age.

These moments that make me miss the “train” are often the moments I remember most, They remind me what life is all about, not going to one appointment after another, but the stories found along the way. The story of children whose highlight of the day is their priest playing with them at recess, the story of a couple and their many years of faithfulness to each other, the story of a good book that makes us forget where we are and need to be, all of which reminds us that sometimes it's ok if we miss a few trains along the way.

Gratitude for Family

The Feast day of the Holy Family is one of my favorite days to celebrate. There is just so much to meditate on this day. I find myself enthralled thinking about what the life of the Holy Family was like in that hidden town of Nazareth. I think of my own family and how we can imitate Mary, Joseph, and Jesus more fully each day. This year, I found myself surprised by a new meditation I had not experienced before: gratitude for my spiritual family of St. Dominic.

When I was growing up my family went to Mass at the Basilica of St. Josaphat in Milwaukee. The beauty of that building continues to inspire my heart to become a majestic dwelling place for God. As commuters however, I never felt at home. My family and I would show up for Mass on Sunday and leave right away, rarely were we there during the week. Because of this, I never felt part of the family of the Basilica community, there were people I connected with for sure, but I was more attached to the building than the people.

From my first days at St. Dominic, I encountered a different experience. Each one of you welcomed me more than with a simple hello, you welcomed me into your family. This has not been my experience only, many new parishioners mention that it is the family atmosphere at St. Dominic which led them to join. I have learned in my  short 2 1/2 years here that St. Dominic is much more than a building, it truly is a family.

It is a family I am most grateful for. In my early years of priesthood you have raised me with love and support and have helped me grow as a priest in all avenues of my life. You have invited me into the joys and sorrows of your life and I have felt each within my own heart. While Brookfield may not be as quiet as Nazareth, you have shown me glimpses of the Holy Family with your joy, faith, hope, perseverance in trial, trust in God, and most felt by myself, love.

On this feast day of the Holy Family, my heart is full of gratitude for you, my family of St. Dominic. You will never know the full impact you have on your priests and I hope you know how much you are loved by Fr. Dennis and myself. Thank you for your imitation of the Holy Family and for filling my heart with joy and thanksgiving to be a part of this incredible community.    

It may sound strange coming from a 29-year-old young man who has only been a priest for under 3 years, (it does to me) but I am proud and humbled to be called father of this family, my family, the family of St. Dominic.

May the Holy Family continue to guide us all to be more like them each and everyday.