One of my great consolations as a pastor is not having to make up my own vision for the parish. Sure, on the one hand there are many responsibilities, decisions to be made, and Lord knows there are a thousand mistakes lurking around any given corner. If I ever go a week without doing something stupid,
I will be sure to throw a little party for myself. But in the broadest sense of the term, the vision of the Church has been set since the very beginning. The very last thing that Our Lord told His disciples before going to sit at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us was to “go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I have commanded you.” It’s about as straight forward a vision as one could have, and it should still drive us the same as it did two-thousand years ago.

But for those who haven’t embraced this message fully, and for those who are not yet living the call of discipleship, the driving question of the true meaning of life persists. People look for purpose in life in thousands of different manners. Some of them have glimmers of truth that point them towards God. Some of them are truly and obviously destructive to themselves and others. Still other pursuits are more dangerous because they are not bad in and of themselves, but can distract from the destiny God has planned for us in being with Him in eternity. But in the midst of so many responses to searching for purpose in life, and looking for specific guidance to help us grow in our faith,
I find it helpful to borrow wisdom from the saints, and JPII spent much of his pontificate spreading the message of Divine Mercy.

This weekend the Church celebrates the Feast of Divine Mercy, which was promulgated by and rose to widespread popularity through the work of Pope St. John Paul II. I encourage you to take part in one of the local celebrations of this feast day. There are major ones happening at St. Bart’s just down the road and St. Xavier Church downtown. They have opportunities for confession, praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and hearing wonderful talks on God’s boundless mercy. During this season of Easter, my prayer is that we find a deeper appreciation for God’s mercy found in the Cross and in the Sacraments, and that we grow in gratitude each day for the gifts He has given us in the Church, so that we may share them with the rest of the world.
 
Prayers always,
Fr. McCullough