Mottos and Crests

Dear Friends,

Last week we began our fall campaign with the big question: who do you think you are? Are you excited to ponder that question together? I sure am. The many-layered answer to this question has huge implications for our lives, our well-being, our sense of satisfaction and purpose. “The unexamined life is not worth living,” as Socrates once said. It is so good to pause in order to probe the question of identity. Understanding who we are also helps us to see our dreams and God’s plan for us with new clarity.

So, who are you? It is a question worth pondering… and not just once, but periodically in life. I would encourage you to begin to roll that question around in your mind. Take some notes in a journal. Ask a friend that you trust. Self-discovery is a journey worth undertaking.

Identity is important because it drives our actions, influences the health of our relationships, and decides what we value. Actions, relationships, and values - those are some of the key elements that contribute to our well-being.

One of the ways to think about who we are is to imagine what we would like to have written on our tombstone, something to symbolize the dash between the dates. If that is too morose, we might consider what our motto would be.

Our Bishop David O’Connell has a motto on his episcopal crest: ministrare non ministrari (from Mt 20:28) Lest you think that is about soup, let me translate: to serve, not to be served. Our Bishop seeks to be a man of service as he leads His flock. Please pray for him and the priests of the diocese as we gather this week to pray together, share fellowship and align our efforts as we all seek to serve you!

Our Pope Francis also chose a motto: miserando atque eligendo. He lived by the same motto as the Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires. A bit challenging to translate, it means pitying and choosing, or choosing despite showing mercy.

Taken from a homily written for the feast day of Saint Matthew, this phrase emphasizes the moment that Matthew was chosen (see Mt 9:9-13). As a tax collector, Matthew was a notorious sinner. He was considered a traitor to his own people for helping the Romans collect the taxes. So, for Jesus to choose Matthew to follow Him, our Lord would have needed to look past His sin, to gaze on him with love and show him mercy. Jesus saw deep down who Matthew really was, and who he was called to be, and showing him mercy, he chose him, despite his sin.

Chosen despite the sin. Well, that may as well describe each of us! Each of us is a sinner in need of God’s mercy. Paul says, ‘While we were still sinners, Christ died for us,'' the innocent for the sake of the guilty. Each of us is loved, despite our failings, perhaps even for the particular way they show God’s glory and honor shining through our weakness. That is another nugget of wisdom from Paul (see: 2 Cor 12:7-10), which bears your careful prayer and reflection.

There is a lot to unpack, but this week we unpack how the root of our identity is being forgiven by God. You aren’t what’s been done to you but what Jesus has done for you. You aren’t your mistakes and bad choices; you are forgiven; you are chosen.

In his grasp,

Fr. Joel