I said two Masses today. The parish Mass in the morning was offered in thanksgiving, on account of F; and then there Mass for my mother. It's her birthday today and I miss her every day, for she was my best friend. I was looking through the Mass readings today and there was this odd little story from the sixteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. The holy apostles Saint Paul and Saint Silas are at Philippi, where they are here thrown into prison. So, they sing hymns praising God, while the other prisoners listen. And a sudden earthquake frees everybody from their bonds. The poor jailer knows that he is finished if the prisoners take their opportunity and escape, and he prepares to commit suicide at once. But Paul cries out and says, 'Hold on, now, we're all still here and we're not going to escape.' And then, suddenly, the jailer is converted and becomes a Christian. All I can say is, those must have been some very good hymns they were singing, so that their demonstration of joy in the midst of suffering was very compelling.
My mother died from a cancer of the abdomen and she suffered very much over a long time. She found relief in the midst of that, delighted in having her family around her and was optimistic until the end. And she loved singing hymns. It is easy to say that she is a principal reason that I am where I am. She used to ask me what she could do to evangelise. I think she did some evangelism from her bed of pain. None of us knew how to deal with her progressive illness. But that optimism was important, and even the forced smiles in the midst of pain. It put heart into us, it inspired me and so I am.
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