Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.

If I’ve not stated this before in this blog, it’s soul purpose is to share my faith with you and help you understand the Truth of the Gospel – the Good News. I am here to tell you that the words and works of Christ are still alive, still hold true, still have meaning and purpose and Christ is still ALIVE and in our midst today. Let me share another example of this Truth.

Two weeks ago this coming Monday, my wife came down with what she thought might be a summer cold. By the following morning, she had a fever. By Tuesday night, she had a raspy cough. It got progressively worse throughout last week and she was not able to attend any of the weekend Masses. When I came home from Mass on Sunday afternoon, I went down to check on her and wasn’t very excited about what I was seeing. I asked if I should take into St. Luke’s and she replied that if she still felt this way in the morning ( a full week after this illness started), she would just call 911. I didn’t want to wait until then, so I called 911. They took her to St. Luke’s who immediately put her on an IV, which was desperately needed, and then tested her for Covid-19. Two hours later, after a positive test result, I had her in my truck and was heading back home. They asked that we monitor her oxygen levels in her blood and that I should bring her back should they fall below 90. We went through the day Monday with her oxygen levels hovering around 93 and at one point, reaching back up to 95. We were hopeful that we had gotten through this relatively unscathed.

And then came Monday night/Tuesday morning. My wife was up constantly with a horrible cough that remained constant throughout the night. I took her oxygen level again at 4:30 AM and it was at 89, so we loaded up the truck and head back to the ER at St. Luke’s. This time, they didn’t come out to tell me that they were just giving her an IV, but that they were giving her oxygen and would be admitting her. They asked that I go home. About a mile into the drive home, I had the horrible thought that my pushing her into the ER in a wheelchair might be the last time that I saw my wife and it scared me badly. I immediately turned around and headed back to the hospital. I knew they weren’t going to let me in, but I wasn’t leaving there until I knew what they’re plans for my wife were; until I had a chance to talk to her primary care provided; until a priest came and anointed her and lastly, until I heard from my wife.

So I started making phone calls. I was able to contact her Doctor and he immediately came to the Hospital and started looking into things for me. I contacted 3 different priests and with her nephew, Fr. Stephen Schumacher, being so close, he graciously came and negotiated his way to her room and anointed her. After about 4 hours of sitting outside and waiting, the phone rang and it was Sarah. She sounded very tired, very scared but just being able to hear her voice and get to tell her that I loved her was good enough – for now. So I left to head back home. I needed to let my office know what was going on; I needed to let my children know what was going on.

So, while sitting in the parking lot, I reached out to Sarah’s siblings, my siblings, my children and my friends and started asking for their prayers. They reached out to their friends and before long, a lot – A LOT – of people were offering intercessory prayers for my wife. All this to bring me to my point this morning.

Jesus tells us “Ask and you shall receive.” “Be not afraid; just have faith.” “God’s will be done.” All of His words – spoken to each one of us, are still alive and still true for each of us today. I am witness to God’s miraculous love through all that has happened these past few weeks. Within hours of my first phone call, the wonderful staff at St. Luke’s had devised a plan of antivirals, antibiotics, vitamins that were designed to combat the virus and heal my wife. They have done just that. Within minutes, my nephew came to his Aunt’s side and brought her the healing power of God’s mercy by anointing her. Within in a few days, Msgr. Cronin was able to physically bring Christ to Sarah in the blessed sacrament of Holy Communion. Prayers, faith, medicine and love all contributed to my wife’s recovery from this heartless, relentless virus. People who know my wife, people who never heard of my wife, people from St. Louis, people from around the world all united together and I am here to witness to you the healing power of God’s love through their prayers and their vocations to make my wife better.

I’ve only shared one of the last things my wife said to me on Tuesday morning with one other person, but I am here to tell you her Christ light had dimmed. She was scared, she was weak and she was in a dark place. I was able to FaceTime with her on Wednesday evening and I have tell you she never looked more beautiful in all of the time I’ve known and been with her. Through all of the prayers, through all of the hard work of the Staff at St. Luke’s, God has shown me how powerful He is. My wife’s God Light has been rekindled. My God Light has been rekindled. I was able to witness first hand how wonderful our unity can be when our focus is not on “us” but on God. United in God’s love we can be all, we can conquer all.

Please continue to offer prayers for my wife’s continued recovery. God willing, we hope to have home as early as tonight. As I conclude this post, please read and contemplate the credo’s I list at the end of each post. They are truly words to live by.

Do something great for our Lord today – know that He is all loving and merciful. Seek Him out in all that you do today.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.

But you man of God chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and kindness. Compete well for the faith.