Romans 8:28
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God.”
I feel sure that God does not cause bad things to happen. He gives us free will so we can experience true love. How could we know self-giving love if we didn’t have the power to choose selfish gain? But when bad things happen as they many times do…how often does God work in powerful ways to heal, restore, and “make all things new” again?
I struggled to find something positive in the agonizing suffering my friend Michael Burns went through as he slowly succumbed to cancer last summer. But now as I look back, I see that Michael demonstrated in many ways his strong faith in God. I remember one day calling Michael on my cell phone while on the way to work and finding him in an unusually somber mood. While he seldom complained about the pain he was in…this day was different. He told me he was suffering greatly. My heart ached for him. But I recall him saying, “This is nothing compared to what Jesus went through.” He went on to say something about how he hoped something positive would come of his pain. What a model of following Christ! The day I said goodbye to him as he lay on a bed in a hospice facility…we prayed the “Our Father” together. Michael’s voice was slow and not much more than a whisper. As we finished, “deliver us from evil,” I noticed Michael was still talking, “For the Kingdom, the POWWW-ERRR, and the GLOOOR-REE are yours…now and forever.” Michael’s faith inspired me greatly! I’m sure much good is now sprouting from the seeds of faith that Michael planted in those who were privileged to spend time with him during his final months.
I was certainly in a somber mood as I left for Guatemala the day after I said goodbye to Michael. But during my trip with a contingent from St. Ignatius Church in Monfort Heights to visit our sister parish in Mixco, Guatemala, I was to experience an out-pouring of love from people I had never met…thousands of miles from home. I experienced unconditional love and compassion from the people of our sister parish…and more hugs than I’ve probably had in my lifetime. The day Michael died it just so happened that our group was invited to a wake for a baby. We walked late at night to a remote, wooded area where people were gathered outside a hovel. We were invited inside to stand around the tiny casket that was in a small room with a dirt floor. And it was there…thousands of miles from home…where God allowed me to grieve the loss of my friend…in solidarity with brothers and sisters from another culture who were mourning a loss of their own. I remember looking up at the moon as we left and thinking…one moon…one loving God.
It was also on this trip to Guatemala that our group happened to meet Byron Castaneda and his daughters Jennifer and Catherine. The girls had suffered burns in a house explosion and fire that had killed their mother and grandparents. What good could possibly come from that? Well…as I said…God allowed our group to cross paths with the Castanedas. And so began a plan to see if there was any way these girls could be brought to Cincinnati for treatment at Shriners Hospital which specializes in treating children with burns. Thanks to the hard work of several people from St. Ignatius and the generosity of many in the parish…the girls are now in Cincinnati…a year after our fateful meeting. Check out the story on Cincinnati.com.
http://news.cincinnati.com:80/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080815/NEWS01/808150345/
It was very heart-warming to see Mr. Castaneda and his two daughters at Mass last Sunday receiving the anointing of the sick…and to see their smiles as the packed church applauded their presence.
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God.”
