Little Ones

Our seminary community was rocked recently with the tragic, very late-term death of the unborn child of our dear friends, Adam and Trish. Please say prayers for them; the newly-reposed saint is Evelyn Martha. They have a young son, named Luke. I have seen two other infants' funerals. Just when I think the caskets can't get any smaller...

Several of us went with them from St. Vladimir's to St. Tikhon's in South Canaan, PA, where the fathers at the monastery were so kind as to provide us with a burial plot for Evelyn on such short notice. St. Vladimir's, for its part, covered all of the family's funeral expenses. Seminarian families are keeping them fed; this is the Body of Christ in the midst of tragedy. Please keep us all in your prayers.

I will be leaving in about a half and hour to get on the bus for Washington D.C. to participate in my second March for Life. This is made difficult because of Kate's getting sick over the past day and a half or so. Please also say prayers for her, and for my poor wife who is left (by her knucklehead husband) to deal with such things. She wouldn't hear of my staying home because of it, to her credit (and to cover my own rear, I guess). I don't expect domestic policy to be rocked in this country; I've been told by some that it's a bit of "Martha, Martha," in an age where other things could (and should) be done. Mostly, I look forward to going again to pray as we walk. Pray for travelling mercies as we from SVS go with our brothers from STS to pray for the unborn.

I was blessed to read Col. 3.12-16 in church yesterday. This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. Not be be overly dramatic, but should God will I not return from this outing, I feel there's precious little I could add to that as some "last words." I did, however, kiss and make the sign of the cross over my wife and three girls as they slept. Legacies are made of simple things, for better or for worse, like laughter, (which Laura's doing a lot of, recently) and sharing mango with red pepper (Hope's new favorite snack, courtesy of Papi).

Should I return, though, the oath of reading such things in the congregation of the faithful and sealing it with the fruit of our common thanksgiving will stay with me and over me. Would that I be bound together with others through love as tendons bind bones.