Prayers For A Priest

Sometimes I wonder if priests know how much they can affect our lives.

Many years ago a local priest died. He had a routine heart bypass surgery, he was relatively young and healthy, yet he died. The parish was devastated.

I'm thinking about that because of a blog I came across. The blog is at SaintRobertBellarmine.blogspot.com. Prayers are being asked for a priest who is dying.

There was a request made to email people and ask for prayers. I thought it would be appropriate to place this here to ask for prayers, too.

I only hope that when my day arrives, I can be as focussed on the right things as this priest is.

My prayers go out to not only this priest, but to those who love him. If this were happening to a couple of priests I know, priests who have had a significant impact in my life, it would be devastating to me.

Here's the message from the priest:

From Fr. Ed --

Here's an update on my health status.

A week ago Friday I met with my oncologist, Judy and some family members and prayerfully discerned to stop treatment. It wasn't very hard to make based on the options that I have. Anything aggressive is a long shot and some of it involves surgery with a high risk of infection with my weak body. Praying about the decision came through loud and clear to stop treatment.

I am at peace with that.

We even talked about hospice care at the appropriate time. Some tears were shed and it was nice to have family members there to share it together. Last week I visited my homeopathic doctor and he informed me that a body flooded with biliruben and a weakening liver can die in a matter of weeks but that it is a peaceful, pretty well painless way to die. That was a shock to hear that the illness could break the body totally down so rapidly.

All I can say is that for the past three and a half weeks my energy, appetite, general overall feeling has been constant--no regression and no progress. I would guess that without a miracle we’re talking about months rather than weeks. I began hospice care this week and that comes with some good benefits of paying for all of my prescriptions and reimburses me for ointments that help with the itching. I also get a massage each week.

I'm saying that on the scale of balance of going home soon or remaining here to continue ministry for a while, all of the facts tip the scale on the side of going home sooner rather than later. On the other side is the power of prayer which cannot be measured. I continue to ask Luminosa Bavosi to intercede for me and I feel her presence a lot.

As I say, I am at peace. Each day I have my bags packed for going home (heaven) and my brief case packed for doing the ministry of the day. I can’t think of anything more to put in the bag to go home. My brief case has about two appointments a day and a big reminder that . . .


LIVING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT AND
EMBRACING JESUS FORSAKEN
IS THE GREATEST MINISTRY THAT I CAN DO.


Thanks for your unity and prayers, and love. I lean on them a lot.


Fr. Ed


P.S. Thanks for your prayers of intercession with Our Lady of Guadalupe and the praying of the Psalms.

Perfectly said. There's nothing more for me to add.