"Nothing in this world lasts."
Friends,
Following the devastating fire at Paris' Cathedral of Our Lady (Notre Dame), the Diocese of Grand Rapids' very own bishop offered some very wise words:
“It’s a good reminder to us, that we don’t put our faith in created things. Our faith is something that is indestructible... It is [also] a sobering reminder, that nothing in this world lasts."
Most Reverend David J. Walkowiak, April 16, 2019
This, of course, is a story familiar to the Diocese, as our Cathedral of Saint Andrew also suffered great destruction from a fire, just over a century ago.
But more to the point is Bishop's last comment in the quote above: Nothing in this world lasts. How true this is! Thanks be to God, our Redeemer promises us a new life, in a new world to come. I find such hope in this act of His goodness and mercy.
This past weekend, a student of the Religious Education class that I have been co-teaching throughout this past school year with a few of my brother seminarians from St. John Vianney passed away unexpectedly. She was a kind, bright girl in high school, named Shirley. If you could please keep her, her family and friends, our classes, and the parish as a whole in your prayers (especially during this upcoming celebration of the Sacred Paschal Triduum), I would be immensely grateful.