Yesterday as I was sitting down to compose this little column, I opened up my email and found the following reflection from our parishioner Fred Baumer. I found it beautiful and I asked if I could share it here. He graciously agreed.
We Remember. We Celebrate. We Believe. Below are Fred's words:
Tim Power graduated into eternity four years ago today. As Archbishop Hebda said at the funeral, he was indeed "singular." Tim would have appreciated the beauty of today as the leaves slowly show their colors in an atmosphere tinged with smoke. He had the ability to tell us a story in anxious times that would lead us again to trust in God, something I need to hear right now.
I remember several stories of his, one from a funeral I attended. He credited it to a book entitled “Dancing at the Edge of the World.” I can't quote it exactly, and I will take liberties with it.
"A spaceship comes to earth, and the captain says ‘We have room for one passenger. Will you spare one person from earth so that we can converse at length on our long trip back to our world so that we can better understand yours?’ Whom would you send? A noted scientist, a world statesman, a revered supreme court justice, a decorated athlete? No, rather I would send . . .(and here Tim would recount the life of the person who died, an elderly man or woman who had lived a very real life, dealing with very real issues).
So today I would answer: I'd like to send a man of some 70 years who spent more time listening than talking, who built a community of faith by encouraging discipleship, never crediting successes to himself, willing to talk truth to power, who sat beside first responders attending to crises, who told stories that nourished and challenged, who accepted and examined the entire human condition without judgment. Into that spaceship, Tim."
How we miss you!!!
Blessings,
Fred
CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW FOR A VIDEO MESSAGE FROM FR. MIKE