Celebrate Life!

Dear Parishioners,

My legs are sore. Last week on a beautiful crisp fall Saturday, I ran 3 miles off and on. The run took place in Washington DC during a fundraising 5 K for Children’s National Hospital. My involvement with the hospital began several years ago. My granddaughter Natalie was in the hospital having heart surgery. She was less than a year old. What my wife and I found out later was that she was really fighting for her life. She was down to only several pounds. She was not eating. She looked emaciated like one of those babies you see on feeding the hungry commercials. She was there for quite a while during which we brought her older sister for visits and to provide some relief to her beleaguered parents. That hospital is a place of miracles. She survived and now thrives.

The Saturday race was a big affair. We collected a couple thousand dollars for the cause, and we had a team of 10 people to walk and run. The coolest part was that Natalie—with the help of her Nana and her Dad—was able to slowly, and with stuttering steps, walk over the finish line. I got the picture! I believe that this is a pro-life story. This is the action of God working through us to allow life to prevail. This is the coming together of many family and professionals to rescue a small little girl from encroaching darkness. This is a life story that reflects how the small breath of God that resides in a broken body can prosper and grow. This shows how faith and trust and community and expertise and a giving spirit make things better. God gave this little one a spark of life, and it continues to brighten. This is what the month of October celebrates.

Blessings,
Deacon Steve