Dear friends, I am happy to report to you this month that our Spiritual Assistant, Fr.
Gardiner, is finally making steady progress in his recovery from the heart ailment that
befell him last October. He had some very serious surgery to replace a valve in his
heart and for months his situation was dire. Weeks of physical therapy were
unsuccessful in getting him up and around, he lost a great deal of weight, and it seemed
for a time that he had given up on making a full recovery.
Then, a couple of months ago something changed. Fr. Jim regained his will to recover.
He began eating again and was able to get more physical therapy authorized. He is now
working hard to regain his strength and mobility after more than six months in bed.
What made the difference? It seems that Fr. Jim was touched by the fact that many old
friends, including friars he had known over the years, as well as family members came
from all over the country to visit and tell him how much they cared and that they
believed God still had work for him to do.
This experience with Fr. Gardiner was a good reminder to me—and I hope it will be to
all of us—always to encourage another, never to fail to say the kind or supportive thing
that is in my mind but I might be too shy to say. After all, God might be speaking
through us.
Christ has no body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. (Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila