You Never Know What You Might Find in a Journal

by Rev. Timothy Kearney

I've been keeping a journal ever since high school. My original reason for writing one was lofty enough. I wanted to be a writer and I had learned that writers keep journals. I guess I decided that I would allow future people who wanted to research me to have my journals as a guide. It was thoughtful of me to think of future generations before I even wrote a word.

While I have yet to finish the "great American novel," I have written many pages of journal entries, most of which are of no interest to anyone but me, though from time to time, I do read interesting tidbits that can be of some interest.

Two entries I recently reread still can move me: One is about a young man I will call Dave and the other about a boy I'll refer to as Luke (understandably, both names have been changed). I met both Dave and Luke during my junior year in college. As part of a college requirement, I had to do some volunteer work and was assigned to one of Boston's better known medical centers. Both of their stories can help us as we continue our Lenten journey and move toward Easter.

Part 1: Dave

"I would like you to meet Dave," the nurse said to me. Dave simply waved. It was easy to see that he was familiar with the hospital. "You will be bringing him to respiratory therapy. He should be finished in about an hour and you'll be bringing him back afterward."

As we traveled the hospital hallways, he smiled and said, "I bet you think I'm probably in the fifth grade."

"You're probably a bit older than that." I replied, thinking he was younger, but knowing enough to say he looked older. He took out his wallet and showed me a driver's license. Dave was twenty years old, the same age I was at the time. His battle with cystic fibrosis had severely stunted his growth and he easily looked half his age. Dave was humbling. I wondered how I would react if I had to face the same challenges Dave was facing and whether I would have the courage he seemed to have when faced with an illness.

The better I got to know Dave, the more I was amazed at his pluck and sense of humor. I learned that he had been rather popular in high school and even though he was very ill, he managed the football team and was an avid sports fan. He knew everyone at the hospital by name, and everyone he met seemed to love and admire him.

Dave also had a very profound faith. He was deeply rooted in Catholicism, and knew what he believed and why. His Catholic faith helped him to accept the fact that he was not going to recover from his illness.

Ironically, he also watched evangelical preachers on television. Oral Roberts and Jimmy Swaggart were among his favorites. Dave told me that healings happened on these shows all the time. "If God wants to heal me, that's fine with me and it's fine if he does not." The last time I saw Dave, he asked me if I could come back the next day and bring him a Bible. When I went back to see him the following day, I learned that he had died peacefully in his sleep.

Part 2: Luke

"Why good morning M'am. How are you today?" the young boy stood up said with a deep Southern drawl. You would think a dignified gentleman was courting a lady, but it was a young eight-year-old boy named Luke addressing his nurse.

Luke was genial. He referred to the other three children in his room as "good ole boys" and he was proud of his Baptist faith. On more than one occasion, Luke reminded people that "Baptists preach the word of God" and finished with a "and don't you forget it." Luke was being treated in Boston because of the reputation of the medical community. It was the only place where there might be hope for his rare form of cancer, and he returned home in remission.

Luke had an incredible sweet tooth, and passing the cafeteria on his way back from treatments was always a challenge. He always wanted to stop for a treat, but dietary restrictions made this impossible.

One day Luke spotted some fresh bismarcks in the bakery section and knew he had to have one. He first tried to charm the other volunteer into buying him a bismarck. She quickly replied, "You can have one when I can have one and I can't have one until I lose pounds." He then tried to guilt me into buying him one. I simply told him I did not have any money, which was somewhat true. I was going to the bank later in the day, so I probably was broke.

When we arrived back at Luke's room, his lunch was waiting for him. He invited me to sit down while he ate, but before eating he asked me, "If you don't have any money, how will you be able to have lunch?" I told him not to worry, I'd manage somehow. He then offered me half of his lunch.

There are Lenten connections in the stories of Dave and Luke. In Dave we see a young person of deep faith who so patiently endured his cross. For Luke, his self-giving is certainly Christlike. His willingness to share his meal is almost eucharistic.

In both stories, we see the self-giving and self-sacrificing love of Christ being lived by two young people. We also see that Dave was far more than a young man with a ternimal illnesss. He was also a young man who lived as full a life as he possibly could, and he was guided by his deep faith. You could not take away any of these factors and still have Dave. Luke was more than simply a cancer patient who won the battle. He was a charmer and a person of generosity. All of these characteristics combined make the person of Luke.

Each year Lent draws us into the Passion of Jesus Christ. Once again we relive Jesus' triumphant entry to Jerusalem, his last supper, his arrest, trial, and crucifixion. We meet familiar people: Mary and John who were at the foot of the cross, Peter who denied him and Judas who betrayed him. We meet Simon of Cyrene, the women of Jerusalem, and the repentant thief.

We want to say with the Roman Centurion, "Truly this was the Son of God." Each year at Easter, we enter into Jesus' resurrection, when like Mary Magdalene, we have heads that want to say "no," but instead, we listen to our hearts that say "yes," and experience the risen Christ.

Each year we enter into remembering these historical events, the events of our redemption and the cause of our hope. Yet there is always a challenge that can make our entering into these events different for us each year.

Each year when we enter into the passion of Jesus Christ, we are called to know Him better. We are called to see His ministry in light of His cross and resurrection. The cross and resurrection change everything about Jesus Christ. Jesus' teachings, particularly through the parables, would be insightful without the passion and resurrection, but with the passion and resurrection, his teachings show us God.

Jesus' message of forgiveness would be consoling without the cross and resurrection, but with the cross and resurrection the message reunites us with God. Jesus' miracles would be flukes of nature if he were simply a person, but the cross and resurrection make the miracles God's love in action.

Sometimes we tend to isolate certain aspects of the life of Jesus Christ. It sounds great to say that we are an Easter people and live for the resurrection, but without the ministry of Jesus Christ and the passion, there would be no resurrection.

We can say that we love the teachings of but love to stay away from the passion because it is somewhat gory or from the resurrection because it seems too fanciful to believe. This puts Jesus in the same category of Socrates or Plato, for without the cross and resurrection. Jesus is just a philosopher. Or we can simply look at the passion, which makes Jesus a person who suffered unjustly, but hardly a Messiah.

Lent and Easter help us to put together all that Jesus Christ is by focusing on his ministry, which led to his passion, but eventually led to his resurrection. If we take away any of these parts, we do not see the whole Jesus Christ. Fortunately we enter into the Lent and Easter seasons each year, recalling certain historical events, as well as the whole ministry of Christ. Through all this, we come to see that Jesus' ministry, his death, and his resurrection make up the total of Jesus Christ.