Sisters and Brothers,
It’s always unpleasant when someone we love comes to the end of their life with us and that is now the case with our friend and brother, Fr. Benet Fonck. But, it is made easier when we recognize their faith has brought them to this time of “new life” and their whole life has prepared them well for these Divine moments of welcoming “Sister Death.”
I visited Fr. Benet last night in Joliet, Illinois and offered him your best holiday wishes and prayers. He seemed comfortable but unresponsive. His Sister Susan was with him and the other brothers and sisters are with him in vigil.
We prayed and “remembered” many things – not the least of which was his love and involvement with the Secular Franciscan Order. He was so important in the formation of so many of us – myself included. The Order would look quite different to us today if not for his tireless work for us, over the years.
One thought Fr. Benet had on “Sister Death” is that, “When we purposefully carry the cross, we make the decision to always find positive meaning in every negative situation. We don’t just put up with nonsense nor endure suffering nor wallow in pity nor get snagged into the gloomy side of life, but we work as hard as we can to make every experience of “death” a new resurrection for us. . . . . (suffering) beckons us human beings into the very realms of divinity.”
This thought is worth reflecting on as we continue to remember him and his family in our prayers.
God bless and Merry Christmas to all!
Fr. Ed McKenzie, ofm
Provincial Spiritual Assistant