“His diagnosis was
terrible and conclusive: poliomyelitis, an acute infectious disease that can
affect the Central Nervous System, primarily the spinal cord, leading to
rapidly progressive paralysis and death. Pier Giorgio may have contracted the
virus in the home of one of the poor individuals he visited every day. As one
person observed, ‘since there is no true giving without sacrifice [Pier
Giorgio] was dying the victim of his own good will.’ “ (Ordinary Christian,
100).
“But there was ‘the one
reality in which human suffering is essentially transformed’: the cross of
Christ. On the cross the Son of God had accomplished the redemption of the
world. And it was “through this mystery that every cross placed on someone’s
shoulders acquires a dignity that is humanly inconceivable.’ In entering more
deeply into the mystery of the cross, suffering was ennobled. And so [St. John
Paul the Great] asked the sick for a favor: ‘You who are weak and humanly
incapable, be a source of strength for your brother and father who is at your
side in prayer and heart.” (Witness to Hope, 310).
A few years ago I was at
the doctor and he said, “it might be brain cancer or MS; otherwise, I don’t
know.” I kicked around what was better: knowing or not knowing. It ended up
being the later. Waiting for results, it felt like time stood still and my
breathe along with it. It was a profound reflection. Sometimes we are begging
for just a little more time, while other moments we are pleading to speed
things up. But the gift of time is exactly that – a gift. We all have the same
24 hours in a day. How do you use them? Do you live in light of eternity? Are
you thankful for the gift of life you’ve been given? Pier Giorgio, at the ripe
age of 24, had learned to use his time well. He developed a deep prayer life,
served the sick and the poor, and fraternized with friends. He seized every
opportunity to ascend towards the heights. Let us imitate him, trusting Saint
John Paul the Great’s advice that through this “mystery of suffering we can be
ennobled” and "become a source of strength for your brother"
Verso l’alto,
Kathryn
Cause I can see the light
before I see the sun rise
Let your love be the
shining light, breaking chains that were holding me
Love will hold us together
make us a shelter to weather the storm
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