“The Child Jesus invites us to the grotto and
teaches us that in order to accomplish good, it is
necessary to suffer.” -St. Gaspar del Bufalo
God’s Love is Greater Than Any Evil
G
“A large family is nothing to be desired if the children
are worthless. Godless sons are nothing to be proud
of. No matter how many children you have, don’t look
on them with pride unless they fear the Lord. Don’t put
much hope in their future or expect them to live a long
time. One child who does the Lord’s will is better than
a thousand who do not. It is better to go to your grave
with no children than to have children who are
Godless.” -Sirach 16:1-3
This week I went to the Little Sisters of the Poor to pay
my respects for Paul M. Jones, Sr., 95 years of age (no
relationship to me), who has, along with my mother,
been at the home for over 8 years. I buried his son,
Garret, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2000 and I
offered the funeral for his late wife, MaryLouise several
years ago. Paul was preceded in death by 3 sisters and
5 brothers, and is survived by 3 children, 12
grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. He was a longtime
mail carrier, and his route was on the North Side of
Pittsburgh. For almost 3 decades people waited for his
deliveries, especially around Christmas time.
Paul was a humble, faithful and gentle man, whose
whole life was invested in building a Godly and faithfilled
family. Nothing brought greater joy to his life than
to know that his children were following the path of the
Lord. “Acts of kindness and charity are as lasting as
eternity.” -Sirach 40:17. I was blessed to walk the
journey with Paul and I treasure the moments I shared
with him, especially at the Little Sisters of the Poor
Home. He used to love to sit in the hallways, gazing at
the world through the windows, seeing the light of the
new day, and bringing the light of faith to those who
passed through the corridors of the home. He would
inevitably offer a $5 or $10 bill, saying, “Enjoy yourself
today. Do something special. It will make me happy!”
The day before he passed, I went into his room to offer a
prayer and found him surrounded by his 3 children. Like
a child, he was resting quietly, waiting for his heavenly
Father to summon him home. What a grace and blessing
it was to walk the path with such a humble carrier of
God’s good news and love.
After spending time with Paul’s family, I continued down
the hall to visit Mom, who was sitting in the community
room in her familiar spot, next to her friend, the blue
parakeet. I conveyed to her that Mr. Jones had passed
and we prayed a “Hail Mary” together for the repose of
his soul. Before I check out of the home I usually stop to
see Stush, whose room is next to Mom’s. We always sit
and catch up on things. As I entered the room, the
nurse, Brandy was putting cream on his shoulder. He
was insistent that I not leave the room, as he had things
to discuss with me. The nurse finished her duties, and
she asked, “Fr. Jones, what parish are you at?” I told
her, “St. Joseph in Coraopolis.” She appeared
bewildered, and it was clear that she had no clue where
on earth Coraopolis was. Then Mr. Zubik piped up, “It’s
the next place closest to heaven!”
Recently, a couple came to register as new parishioners.
They were filled with joy and they told me that their son
had led them to join the parish family of St. Joseph. As
we gather this Christmas week to celebrate the Feast of
the Holy Family of Nazareth, I feel humbly blessed and
honored to serve this faith community. I am well aware
that I am far from perfect and less than holy, but I strive
to fulfill the responsibility that Bishop Zubik has
entrusted to me in the service of God’s people.
I feel humbly blessed to have been born into a family of
faith, with parents who were God-fearing, who had
hopes and dreams for their children and who guided us
on the path of knowing right from wrong. They stressed
the importance of ‘being a blessing to others’ through
our individual lives, desires, dreams and decisions, so
that we could pass a blessing to future generations to
come throughout our lives. They highlighted the
importance of not allowing any sin or scandal to get us
off the path that leads to Christ. Jesus himself said,
“Look! Here are my mother, my brother, and sister!
Whoever does what God wants him to do is my
brother, my sister, my mother.” -Mark 3:34, 35
With the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary
school in Newtown, CT, and the horrifying attack that left
20 children, (12 girls, 8 boys) and 6 adults dead, one
cannot but think of the darkness, that fills the lives of
those families this holy season. A parent’s worst
nightmare is the death of a child. This massacre is not
unlike the Feast of the Holy Innocents, which recalls the
victims of Herod, who were innocently murdered during
the time of Jesus. Because of his maniacal desire to
wield his political power over newborns.
There have been many victims, under many regimes, in
many countries, over many centuries worldwide, of
staggering, uncountable suffering that it is incalculable.
Why does the Church celebrate the Holy Innocents, but
to remember that we believe in a God whose infinite
goodness will inevitably triumph over even the most
horrendous evil. We celebrate these holy innocents as a
pledge of the final victory of good over evil.
As I prayed before Sunday’s Mass, a 12 year old girl,
Casey came up to me and said, Fr. Rich, can we take up
a collection for the families of the Sandy Hook victims?
Out of the mouths of children...
