Father Ed

Father Ed, the priest of the church I attended as a child passed away this Summer. He will be missed by many including me. I can still see him so clearly in my heart and mind. Tall, thin, quiet, friendly, and smart with thinning hair and thick glasses, he always looked more like an engineer than a priest. He was a great lover of classical music. One of my most vibrant memories of him was a long trip we took together over curvy, mountainous roads. Father Ed was steering the car with one hand and directing with the other while Beethoven’s 9th symphony serenaded us from his cassette deck. Looking back now I can still feel his spirit swaying in his body while the music played.

Father Ed’s greatest love, however, was the tireless work he did for God. He preached, wrote columns and books, visited prisons, taught in schools, and ministered everywhere for the love of God from the streets of Indianapolis to the hills of West Virginia. It was these mountains and their people that touched his heart the most deeply, though, and I am happy that he was able to end his work on Earth here. He did the very best work he could every single day. Even though his body aged, wore down, and finally surrendered to death, his spirit never did.

Father Ed may have left us now, but his work goes on. The work we do for the love of God never ends, but thankfully God’s love for us never ends either. God’s love not only produces the best work but also the best people. Father Ed was one of them.

Thinking of Father Ed reminds me that we are more than just these bodies that carry us around. We are spirits dancing in the flesh. We are more than just the work we do. We are the love of God working inside of us. We are more than just these lives we live. We are the love we give and the joy we share every moment of them. God bless you Father Ed. We miss you.

~ Joseph J. Mazzella ~

[ by: Joseph J. Mazzella Copyright © 2009 (joecool@wirefire.com) -- submitted by: Joseph Mazzella ]