Father Easter
Father, Into Your Hands I Commend My Spirit (Luke 23:46)
Reflecting on the infinite love of Our Lord and the boundless mercy that He has for each of us, I’m reminded of my own father’s death four years ago and how he gracefully surrendered to the will of God.
Early one summer morning, my daughter and I met the rest of the family at a Louisiana hospital to spend some time with her grandfather. The day was filled with joy and laughter, reminiscing stories of the past, and prayer. By afternoon, with the grandchildren surrounding my father’s bed, and my mother seated to the side, my niece began the family Rosary. My father, riddled with blindness, feebly held onto his beads, praying one bead at a time. It was there that he demonstrated such strength in the faith, in his weakness, in his vulnerability.
As the afternoon progressed, my father asked the Lord to give him more sufferings in order to offer it up for those whom have fallen away from The Church. (He actually asked for more suffering.) He spent hours over the years praying before the monstrance for Catholics whom have left the faith. In the late afternoon, Dad pointed at the ceiling and told the grandchildren as he looked up, “If you look beyond the clouds and the blue skies, it is so much clearer.” He was sharing with them, (and the whole family), that he was seeing God’s Kingdom. This man physically blinded, but faithfully seeing his salvation at hand, for that evening he was received into The Kingdom.
May we be receptive to the love and mercy of The Almighty by surrendering to His will, as my father did even until his death.
God bless and Happy Easter!
